I thank the Dayton Area Chamber of Commerce for inviting me to speak at today’s breakfast. Yesterday I had the opportunity to meet with several community organizations and to tour several Dayton neighborhoods. As I’m sure you know, we analyze a lot of data at the Fed. But augmenting the economic and financial statistics by getting out and about in the Fourth District gives me a better sense of what is happening in the economy in real time. Nothing provides a more powerful reminder that Federal Reserve policy affects real people and local communities. They say that all politics is local. In a sense, monetary policy ... (full story)