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Long gone are the good ol’ days when inflation was described as “transitory.” This month marks one year since the Federal Reserve started raising interest rates to curb inflation, and we chart the relationship between rates and prices, and take stock of where we are. Plus, why some central banks follow the Fed’s lead and how small businesses are responding to banking turmoil.

One way the Federal Reserve oversees the banking system is through “stress tests,” which help determine whether banks can withstand economic disasters. But only the biggest banks are required to undergo these tests. Could Silicon Valley Bank’s collapse change that? We’ll also unpack Fed Chair Jerome Powell’s rate hike remarks, check to see who’s currently hiring and gauge reactions to anticipated charges for COVID-19 vaccines.

A simple economic phenomenon — that rising interest rates push bond values down — is part of what has weighed on financial companies like Silicon Valley Bank. We’ll take a closer look at the relationship and examine how the Federal Reserve’s rate hikes may have contributed to the current banking drama. Then, we’ll hear why the lowest rents are rising the fastest and what the end of additional SNAP benefits means for one mother.

The debacles that engulfed Silicon Valley Bank and other precarious financial institutions have sparked debates over who dropped the ball. Was it a regulatory failure, a supervisory failure, or both? On today’s show, we’ll parse out the answer. We’ll also explore what comes next for Swiss banking, what a Supreme Court case means for Navajo water rights and what small banks are doing to address liquidity concerns.

Back in the ’30s, news of bank collapses traveled slowly. But in the early hours of Silicon Valley Bank’s collapse, the news spread like wildfire through startup messaging chains on WhatsApp, Slack, Signal and Telegram. Today, how rumors and anxiety contributed to SVB’s downfall. Plus, grocery bills bum consumers out more than banking meltdowns and China’s population decline has far-reaching repercussions.

“Financial conditions” influence the cost of money, and they’re being made much more complicated by recent bank collapses. Today, we’ll delve into how tightening financial conditions influence the Federal Reserve’s next moves and could make it harder for small businesses and consumers to get loans. Plus, why COVID may have fundamentally reshaped how we spend and what the Silicon Valley Bank collapse means for venture capital.