Ben Ayers Senior Economist
Ben Ayers is a Senior Economist with Nationwide Economics, supporting the company’s forecasting and macroeconomic analysis functions. Ben’s responsibilities include forecasting enterprise business drivers to assist the company’s strategic planning. He currently authors a weekly economic review and outlook as well as commentary pieces on key economic topics. Ben is a frequent presenter of Nationwide Economics’ forecasts and analyses to internal and external audiences.
He has been quoted in multiple media outlets, including The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, U.S. News & World Report, MarketWatch, Barron’s, and The Associated Press.
Prior to joining Nationwide in August 2011, Ben served as an Assistant Vice President at Citi Hedge Fund Services North America.
Ben holds a Master of Science in Economics from the Ohio State University, specializing in applied economic analysis. Prior to this degree, he earned a BSBA from the Fisher College of Business at the Ohio State University, with a focus on economics and international business. He is a member of the National Association for Business Economics.
Articles by this author
- Growth trends lower but little imminent sign of a downturn
- Farms see fewer bankruptcy filings as incomes soar
- Data still strong, but bank stress complicates the Fed’s mission
- Podcast: The Fed delivers a dovish rate increase
- Podcast: Outlook on inflation and high food prices
- Video: Mark Berven and Kathy Bostjancic on the latest economic trends
- Consumer food prices are still rising rapidly
- The economy remains hot, likely too hot for the Fed
- Podcast: Outlook for the Housing Market
- Diesel fuel prices drive up costs for farmers
- Job market remains resilient as activity weakens across the economy
- Video: Economic trends to watch in 2023
- 2022 was a record-breaking year for net farm incomes
- Continued growth even as clouds build over the outlook for 2023
- Study shows significant ag losses due to Hurricane Ian
- Modest downturn projected for 2023 as Fed tightening tamps down activity
- Drought conditions worsen outside of Hurricane Ian’s reach
- Video: Small business owner sentiment as inflation rises
- Hot inflation and rapid Fed tightening move the economy closer to a recession
- Net farm income up despite high input costs
- Strong job growth and slower inflation boost the near-term outlook, but clouds remain for 2023
- Most crop prices drop sharply this summer
- Not a real recession yet but Fed tightening may get us there
- EU farmer protests could impact U.S. ag trade
- Rapid inflation threatens to derail expansion as Fed hikes sharply again, and promises more
- Tight labor market leaves farms in need of workers
- Fed policy tightening shifts into a faster gear as inflation remains hot
- The chicken or the egg? Bird flu is driving up the prices of both
- Yield curve flashes a warning but path to expansion’s end has only just begun
- Current readings show poor crop condition for winter wheat, driving prices even higher
- March Monthly Economic Dashboard
- March Agriculture Markets Review
- Video: Economic Trends to Watch in 2022
- February Agriculture Markets Review
- February Monthly Economic Dashboard
- January Monthly Economic Dashboard
- December Agriculture Markets Review
- November Monthly Economic Dashboard
- November Agriculture Markets Review
- October Monthly Economic Dashboard
- U.S. to push China on Phase 1 trade agreement flows in 2021
- September Monthly Economic Dashboard
- Thirsty almond crop competes for limited water supply in drought-ridden California
- August Monthly Economic Dashboard
- Drought negatively affecting crops; relief is not in the forecast
- July Monthly Economic Dashboard: Recovery has ended and the expansion begun, but faster inflation is a concern
- Farms struggle to compete for workers during labor shortage
- Webinar: Opportunities and challenges in the post-pandemic economic landscape
- June Monthly Economic Dashboard: Strong growth despite widespread supply chain problems
- 2021 soybean and corn crop progress
- Economic trends to continue to watch in 2021
- May Monthly Economic Dashboard: Strong economic growth to continue
- Webinar: The commercial market rebound from COVID-19
- Webinar: 2021 US Economic Outlook: Commercial sector rebound from COVID-19
- Webinar: 4th Quarter Outlook for the Economy and P&C Insurance
- Webinar: Economic Recovery from COVID-19 and the impacts for P&C insurance
- Webinar: Impacts on P&C Insurance as the economy rebounds from COVID-19
- Webinar: Economic Outlook During the Pandemic for P&C Insurance