Event

AMEC Symposium on “The K-Shaped Economy”

April 03, 2026
On April 3, 2026, the Federal Reserve Bank of New York will host a hybrid symposium titled “The K-Shaped Economy.” The goal of the symposium, which is being organized by the New York Fed's Applied Macroeconomics and Econometrics Center (AMEC), is to stimulate debate among academics, practitioners, and policymakers. The event will include presentations, followed by Q&A, on key issues, ideas, and research on the K-shaped economy and specifically on the evidence of divergence in micro-level and asset markets data and the implications of this divergence for macroeconomic dynamics and monetary policy.


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Event Details

Date & Time
April 3, 2026
9:40am to 2:45pm

Location

This will be a hybrid event, with most panelists participating in-person and the general audience attending virtually.


Audience

The conference is open to the public, academics, practitioners, and policymakers virtually. There will be opportunities for Q&A during the event.


Media

This event is open to the media to attend virtually. All remarks are on the record, and a recording will be made available afterward. Media who wish to attend must register by contacting Ellen Simon at Ellen.Simon@ny.frb.org.

 
Conference Organizers

Nina Boyarchenko
Rajashri Chakrabarti
Marco Del Negro
Keshav Dogra


Contact
For logistical inquiries, please contact ny.researchconference@ny.frb.org.

 

Agenda
Agenda
9:40am Introduction: Marco Del Negro (New York Fed)
9:45am–11:00am Session 1: Micro-level evidence of a K-shaped economy


Is there any evidence of a K-shaped economy in micro-level data---that is, is the economy splitting into two tiers, with AI or other forces creating diverging outcomes for the wealthy compared to others? Have consumption and labor market outcomes evolved differently for individuals at different points in the income and wealth distribution in recent years? Is there evidence of bifurcations by other demographic attributes, such as by age, gender or race? How have the social safety net and other policies affected recent trends in income, consumption and/or wealth inequality, and what policies (if any) could reverse these trends? What types of occupations and workers might be disproportionately affected by the growth of AI in the short, medium and long term? How might AI reshape the future income and wealth distribution?

Chair: Rajashri Chakrabarti (New York Fed)

Panelists: Martha Gimbel (Yale University, Budget Lab), Pascal Noel (University of Chicago, Booth), James Ziliak (University of Kentucky)
11:15am–12:30pm Session 2: Diverging asset markets


Is concentration in stock market gains, such as that currently among the “Magnificent 7,” a common feature of markets during episodes of technological innovation? What are the financial stability implications of such bifurcated asset markets? Are asset price booms associated with periods of technological innovation confined to equity markets or are they also present in debt markets? What metrics may be used to evaluate whether asset valuations reflect fundamentals or excess exuberance during such periods? Can we identify likely turning points in the valuations cycle? Does the increased concentration of stock market gains imply that recessions need no longer be associated with stock market declines?

Chair: Nina Boyarchenko (New York Fed)

Panelists: Markus Brunnermeier (Princeton University), Krishna Guha (Evercore ISI), Samuel Hanson (Harvard Business School)
12:30pm–1:30pm Lunch
1:30pm-2:45pm Session 3: Implications of the K-shaped economy for macroeconomic dynamics and monetary policy


To what extent has GDP growth in recent years been driven by the spending of high-income households and by investment in AI? What effect will advances in AI have on productivity growth and the distribution of income? What are the implications of increasing consumption, income and wealth inequality for macroeconomic dynamics? Is wealth inequality a consequence of the divergence between asset valuations and the macroeconomy, or also a source of this divergence? Do recent trends in inequality have any implications for the conduct or transmission of monetary policy?

Chair: Keshav Dogra (New York Fed)

Panelists: Matthieu Gomez (Columbia University), Pascual Restrepo (Yale University), Gianluca Violante (Princeton University)

 
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