Economics

The Next Recession Could Come Courtesy of the Fed

A chaotic pandemic economy is putting central bankers in a precarious spot.

Photographer: David Paul Morris/Bloomberg
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Central bankers are in a precarious spot in this chaotic pandemic economy. U.S. and U.K. consumers are grousing about rising prices and want some relief. But if government officials give it to them by raising interest rates, they may set back the recovery. It wouldn’t be the first time an errant move by a central bank triggered a recession.