Author

D. Brian Blank, Mississippi State University

D. Brian Blank, Mississippi State University

D. Brian Blank is an assistant professor of finance at Mississippi State University. He received his doctoral degree from the University of Tennessee Haslam College of Business, where he developed expertise researching corporate finance and governance. His dissertation focused on corporate political contributions. He has published in journals including the Journal of Corporate Finance, European Financial Management, Financial Review, the Journal of Financial Research, and the Journal of Housing Research.

COMMENTARY
A "For Sale" in front of a house. Mortgage rates have fallen over the past month but remain above 2021 levels, leaving homes sitting on the market longer than during the pandemic boom.

The Fed hiked interest rates for the 7th time this year, so why are mortgage rates coming down?

By: - December 15, 2022

The Federal Reserve raised interest rates by half a percentage point on Dec. 14, 2022, to a range of 4.25 to 4.5%, the seventh increase this year. So far in 2022, the Fed has lifted its benchmark short-term rate, which influences most other borrowing costs in the economy, by 4.25 percentage points from a low […]

COMMENTARY
Federal ReserveBank Board Chairman Jerome Powell contemplates a response to questions on Nov. 2, 2022. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

Fed inflation fight raises risks of both recession and financial crisis

By: - November 7, 2022

There is wide agreement among economists and market observers that the Federal Reserve’s aggressive interest rate hikes will cause economic growth to grind to a halt, leading to a recession. Less talked about is the risk of a financial crisis as the U.S. central bank simultaneously tries to shrink its massive balance sheet. As expected, […]