Finance & economics | Free exchange

Elon Musk’s plans could hinder Twitternomics

The site now known as X is extremely helpful to researchers

Seal of the United States Federal Reserve with a Twitter bird in place of an eagle.
Image: Alberto Miranda

Elon Musk is no fan of the Federal Reserve. At least a dozen times over the past year the owner of X (a firm until recently known as Twitter) has savaged America’s central bank for raising interest rates. Last December, for instance, he tweeted that its hikes might go down as the “most damaging ever”. But Mr Musk’s disdain for the Fed is not mirrored by the Fed’s attitude towards X. On the contrary, the central bank’s researchers rather like the website, treating it as a compelling barometer of the economy.

This article appeared in the Finance & economics section of the print edition under the headline “Fed-X”

From the August 12th 2023 edition

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