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The Indicator from Planet Money · Thursday, August 13, 2026

Mike Strain Concerned About Inflation, Sees Economy Returning to Normal

Economist Mike Strain's primary concern for the economy is inflation. He believes that aside from this issue, the gradually cooling economy is essentially returning to a state of 'business as usual,' and is neither K-shaped nor C-shaped, but simply a 'normal economy.'

personMike Strain

The tape

2 quotes
It's the I word that worries him most of all, inflation.
Patty Hersh
I don't think we're in a K-shaped economy. I don't really think we're in a C-shaped economy. I think we're just in a normal economy.
Mike Strain
Heard on The Indicator from Planet Money — “C is for C-shaped economy, published Thursday, August 13, 2026. Heardvine summarizes and quotes with attribution and timestamps, and links to the original everywhere.
Transcribed via Gemini audio transcription · $0.01
Mike Strain Concerned About Inflation, Sees Economy Returning to Normal — Heardvine