world-economy

Chicago Fed Appoints Barlevy to Lead Research Division

The Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago named Gadi Barlevy director of its research division, the institution announced Thursday. Barlevy's appointment comes as Federal Reserve researchers continue examining structural shifts in financial markets. Recent work by Chicago Fed economists has documented how private equity-backed insurance firms are reallocating capital toward higher-yielding alternative credit instruments, a trend reshaping portfolio composition across the life insurance sector. The repositioning has created new linkages between insurance operations and broader financial networks. Separate analysis from the New York Fed shows U.S. credit card debt holding steady at $1.25 trillion, though balances remain unevenly distributed across consumer segments.