When I began blogging under Mark Thoma’s renowned Economist’s View blog I really didn’t know where it would take me. Mostly I have treated the blog as a commitment device. For example, one of my responsibilities at the University of Oregon has been outreach, including countless public speaking events (chambers of commerce, continuing education events for professional organizations, Rotary clubs, etc.) across the state of Oregon. The regular blogging focused on the Federal Reserve, and by extension the U.S. economy, very much improved my performance as a speaker and my service on the Oregon Governor’s Council of Economic Advisors and the Oregon State Debt Policy Committee. And I came to the realization last week during a very well-attended Zoom talk with 250 participants that it was a hit because I was the most interesting way (or least painful?) to complete some continuing education credits. That was great for the group and great outreach for the University. The blogging and the associated connections made over the years certainly helped make the outreach more accessible and enjoyable for the audience.

After more than 15 years under my belt I have been blogging for so long now the genre has come full circle. The early, exciting days of blogging gave way to competition by savvy media outlets and then the more succinct Twitter while my product pretty remained the same…different platforms, experimentation with newsletter versions, and a heavy Twitter presence but still largely the same. Blogging has since made a comeback in the form of the more-easily monetizable Substack, but having never taken a break from the genre, that doesn’t feel new to me.

My wife would often ask me why I was working until the early hours of the morning for “free,” to which I would reply because I enjoy it and it improves my work. Still, over the years the blog, which I am proud to say has grown to over 4,000 subscribers, has also driven a handful of consulting opportunities in my direction. A couple of macro-related legal issues, a few out-of-state speaking engagements, etc. Nothing big or regular or on which I depended for income, and although I never sought out those opportunities, I always recognized that another outcome of the persistent blogging was that it created a plan B. This was always a bit reassuring.

What’s the point of this long story? It is time to try something different with this material. I am still with the University doing teaching, advising, and outreach but have also accepted a position as Chief U.S. Economist with SGH Macro Advisors, a macro policy research firm, where I will continue to provide Fed Watch commentary as I have through all these years. I am very excited about this opportunity and where it might lead.

The impact for readers of this blog is that the material will be re-platformed now through SGH Macro Advisors. If you are a subscriber to the blog, you will receive a separate email notifying you of this change and encouraging you to continue to enjoy my work. I look forward to seeing you at SGH.

To subscribe, or for queries, please click here: Contact SGH Macro Advisors