By: Stephen Stone | Published: | 3:08 pm
On Wednesday, Americans are primed to see the first reduction in the Federal Reserve’s benchmark interest rate in over four years. The size of the cut is widely expected to be either 0.25 or 0.5 percent.
The Fed’s current benchmark rate of 5.25 percent is the highest in 23 years and was set to tame inflation that elevated quickly during the pandemic. Economic experts believe Wednesday’s decision will begin a trend of rate reductions through 2025, that will make borrowing money more affordable over time.
Florida State University Department of Finance Associate Professor William Christiansen is available to speak with reporters on the short- and long-term impacts of the Federal Reserve’s interest rate decision on consumers.
A department chair for 18 years, Christiansen’s area of expertise includes macroeconomic policy issues and bank management. He has taught several courses at FSU, including a doctoral seminar in financial institutions and MBA courses in business conditions analysis and economic policy.
Christiansen has also taught undergraduate courses in financial institutions and markets, commercial banking and special topics in finance and economics.
Christiansen can be contacted via email at wchristiansen@business.fsu.edu.
About the College of Business
Founded in 1950, the Florida State University College of Business is one of the largest business schools in the nation and growing, averaging an annual increase of 4% in undergraduate enrollment over the last five years. FSU enrolls more than 6,000 undergraduate business students each year, and more than 8,000 students across campus took at least one business course last calendar year.
About 95% of FSU business freshmen return for their sophomore year, and eight out of 10 first-time-in-college business freshmen graduate in four years.
