Hot Topic Hotline

FRI’s Hot Topic Hotline webinar series addresses a variety of timely topics identified by members of the FRI Advisory Board. HTH webinars provide a forum for industry, regulatory and consumer perspectives and interaction around the issues addressed.

“Inflation, Monetary Policy, and Interest Rates: What they may mean for utilities and regulators”

Thursday, December 1, Noon-1:00 pm Central

In the past year we have experienced the highest inflation rates in the past 40 years. The Federal Reserve has raised its benchmark interest rate by 375 basis points (3.75 percentage points) since the beginning of 2022 in effort to cool off inflationary pressures. While recent reports suggest inflation may be slowing from its peak, inflation remains well above the Fed’s long-term target rate of 2.0 to 2.5%.
This HTH Webinar will discuss what the future might hold for the economy and for utility industries specifically. How much further will the Fed have to increase interest rates to get inflation under control? Could we experience a “soft landing” or is a full-on recession more likely to result? How might high interest rates affect utilities’ incentives to make significant capital investments in the near future? And how do increased interest rates affect utility investors actual returns on equity versus the ROE built into their approved tariff and rate structures? What might be the implications for utilities and regulators?
Register now!
Inflation, Monetary Policy, and Interest Rates: What they may mean for utilities and regulators

Thursday, December 1, Noon – 1PM Central

Meet our panelists:
Dr. William Emmons
Lead Economics, St. Louis Federal Reserve Bank		 Talina Mathews
CFO, Big Rivers Electric Corp.; and Commissioner Emeritus, Kentucky		 Ted Thomas,
Founder, Energize Strategies, Inc.; and Commissioner Emeritus, Arkansas		 David Springe
Executive Director, National Assoc. of State Utility Consumer Advocates

Check out our previous Hot Topic Hotline webinars on the FRI-MIZZOU YouTube channel. Be sure to subscribe for updates on future postings.

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