Richard Vague

Stay informed with Richard Vague’s coverage and analysis for Fortune.

WASHINGTON, DC – SEPTEMBER 11: Visitors walk past the U.S. Capitol on September 11, 2023 in Washington, DC. The House of Representatives is scheduled to return Tuesday following an almost six-week break and lawmakers have only a dozen legislative days left to come up with a budget compromise and avert a government shutdown. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

The U.S. economy has always shrugged off government shutdowns–but that might stop being the case if they become the new normal in Congress

By Richard Vague

NEW YORK, NEW YORK – NOVEMBER 10: People shop at a HomeGoods store on November 10, 2022 in New York City. (Photo by Liao Pan/China News Service via Getty Images)

Americans are so indebted that it’s holding back the economy. These 4 key reforms could give them room to breathe

By Richard Vague

Shoppers wait to pay for items in a store in San Francisco, California, U.S., on Monday, Feb. 28, 2022. U.S. inflation-adjusted consumer spending advanced by more than expected in January, highlighting the resilience of American demand despite a surge in Covid-19 cases and prices rising by triple the Federal Reserves target. Photographer: David Paul Morris/Bloomberg via Getty Images

Pandemic, oil prices, and war: Here’s when inflation will drop

By Richard Vague

A group photo commemorating the ceremonial driving of the ‘golden spike’ to complete the First Transcontinental Railroad, at Promontory Point, Utah, USA, 10th May 1869. The line was built westwards by the Central Pacific Railroad Company of California and eastwards by the Union Pacific Railroad. Shaking hands at centre are the chief engineers of the two companies – Samuel S. Montague (1830 – 1883) of the Central Pacific (centre, left) and Grenville M. Dodge (1831 – 1916) of the Union Pacific. (Photo by Andrew J. Russell/ClassicStock/Getty Images)

Government intervention is more of an American tradition than we care to admit

By Richard Vague