Calls to break the euro are back in vogue so I decided to write again on why Bulgaria is joining now and how it helps us – with better ratings, saving costs and improving our EU representation. The euro is a vital geopolitical step, but not a panacea if u have bad policies. 1/n

I'm recruiting - come work with me in the next months! If you're graduate student, preferably Econ Masters stdnt, have interest in monetary policy & inequality, join me @wifo.bsky.social as RA for my upcoming @oenb.at Anniversary Fund project on Monetary Policy & Redistribution. Info below!

More on Stantcheva, who btw is an immigrant from Bulgaria. www.imf.org/en/Publicati....

One of the most inspiring economists of our time, hard to imagine anybody deserving it more. Congratulations @s-stantcheva.bsky.social for winning the John Bates Clark Medal! Amazing work on public economics, taxation, innovation, political economy and much more! Chapeau!

#WIFOMonatsberichte: 2024 war die Lücke in der Produktivitäts- & BIP-Entwicklung, die sich in den letzten 2 Jahrzehnten zwischen 🇪🇺 und 🇺🇸 aufgetan hat, ein Hauptthema der wirtschaftspolitischen Debatte in der EU. @atanaspekanov.bsky.social buff.ly/5smlJ4d

Trump and Vance destroying all respect for the US in front of the whole world.

As part of the nominating team, I cannot be happier for my intellectual role models and mentors for this long-overdue recognition. Here is to more! www.premiosfronterasdelconocimiento.es/noticias/pre...

Draghi: "About the fear of creating public debt. Let me remind you another thing. If you look at the last 15, 20 years, the United States government has injected into the economy $14 plus trillion, we did seven times less. Now, it must have produced some difference".

Draghi: "You say no to public debt. You say no to the single market. You say no to create a capital market union. You can't say no to everything. Otherwise, you have also to admit that you are not able to deliver on the fundamental values for which this EU has being created".

@atanaspekanov.bsky.social: "Draghi: "You say no to public debt. You say no to the single market. You say no to create a capital market union. You can't say no to everything. Otherwise, you have also to admit that you are not able to deliver on the fundamental values for which this EU been created""

Very happy to be chosen again by @europarl.europa.eu ECON Committee to serve as an expert on the Monetary Policy Expert Panel for the next 4 years. The Panel provides insights to the ECON Committee on monetary policy to prepare the Monetary Dialogue with ECB President Lagarde. @wifo.bsky.social

In einem aktuellen #WIFO Research Brief von @atanaspekanov.bsky.social und @gfelbermayr.bsky.social werden die wichtigsten Punkte des "Competitiveness Compass" der Europäischen Kommission zusammengefasst und analysiert. https://buff.ly/42CCOz0

Delighted to talk this Friday at the Austrian National Bank Research Seminar on my research on Monetary Policy & the Redistribution Channel in the Euro area. In this paper, I show how implicit redistribution after interest rate cuts amplifies the effects of monetary policy.

The LA wildfires have given landlords an opportunity to raise rents. California has anti-price-gouging regulation that might prevent that. If you want to step beyond Econ 101, here’s a recent Econometrica paper that shows how price caps can raise welfare. onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.3...

This is factually correct, a positive development, and the Innovation Scoreboard database is a great source. But we should admit the grim reality of total EU R&D – according to 2023 data EU firms invested in R&D 235 bn €, while US firms invested.. 531 bn €! Miles apart. ec.europa.eu/commission/p...

Finally - Bulgaria & Romania enter the Schengen area fully! A decision long due, as we fulfill the conditions since 2011. Thanks to many Bulgarian and Romanian governments for their work & efforts, to the Commission @ec.europa.eu and the Hungarian Presidency for the support!

This was a great conversation on euro adoption in Eastern Europe. I argued Bulgaria should adopt the euro soon - it gives us more sovereignty (by co-deciding on euro area monetary policy), eliminates transaction costs, increases our sovereign rating and reduces yields.

Heading to Munich for the 14th ifo Conference on #Macro and #SurveyData! Thrilled to co-organize this fantastic event. Excited for two days filled with cutting-edge research—and maybe a Bavarian beer or two. 🍻 @apeichl.bsky.social ifo.de/en/event/202...

A short visualization below of what needs to be extremely high on the priority list for the new EU Commission and all EU Member States: Euro area productivity growth: on average 0.2% since the pandemic, 0.5% before pandemic US: 1.8% before the pandemic, 1.8% since pandemic

Some days ago I spoke to the European Parliament BUDG Committee on a technical, yet important topic - EU contingent liabilities - that is the long-run fiscal risks to the EU budget, which are hard to predict and account for. 💶 @danusenerudova.bsky.social

Very good thread on tariffs, dollar dominance and the supposed BRICS currency (which is non-existent anyways). Also this kind of threads was what made the other place actually great for a long time; good that a working alternative seems to be slowly emerging.

A good way to start December with this thoughtful essay by @benmoll.bsky.social Indeed, an issue for heterogeneous agents models - agents need to solve for whole asset distribution forward to get interest rates & decisions today. Always difficult to defend this when explaining the logic of HANK.

Starting to post also here, here we go - a new version of my paper on monetary policy and redistribution - now with section on the connection between inequality & monetary policy. More inequality is related to more potent monetary policy in the Euro area. atanaspekanov.com/wp-content/u...

Klarna, valued around $15 bn, chooses to make its IPO in the US. Europe loses yet another valuable company, because it doesn't have a real Capital Markets Union. As Enrico Letta powerfully argued, the dream of some EU startups...is sadly to go to the US. www.ft.com/content/f0dc...

This week in my class in Economic Policy at WU Wien we simulated a mock ECB Press Conference. Some very promising future ECB Presidents and Vice Presidents, as well as journalists in the class! : ) And I had the honour to play Wolfgang Proissl! : )

A real pleasure to give a talk at the European University Institute @STGEUI last week on Europe, the governance of NextGenerationEU, the euro adoption in Bulgaria & governance in crisis times. An amazing place and a great community at the @EUI! Thanks for the invitation.

Teaching (and studying) macro and monetary policy is fun. ⭐ Топ въпроси и разговори за еврозоната, паричната политика и еврото тази седмица със студентите в УНСС в лекцията ми по макро. 📖