Joe Brusuelas
Chief Economist
Areas of focus: Middle Market Economics, The Real Economy, Middle Market Business Index, Market Commentaries
ABOUT JOE
Joe Brusuelas, “chief economist to the middle market,” is the preeminent voice championing issues and policies facing midsize companies in the United States and around the world. An award-winning economist, Brusuelas has more than 20 years’ experience analyzing U.S. monetary policy, labor markets, fiscal policy, international finance, economic indicators and the condition of the U.S. consumer.
A member of the Wall Street Journal’s forecasting panel, Brusuelas regularly briefs members of Congress and other senior officials regarding the impacts of federal policy on the middle market and the factors by which middle market executives make business decisions. He also frequently offers his insights on the U.S., Canadian and global economies in the financial media, including CNBC, Cheddar, NPR’s Marketplace, Yahoo! Finance, Financial Times, The New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Washington Post, Axios and Politico. (Recent broadcast coverage and other media commentary can be found here.) In 2020, he was named one of the 100 most influential economists by Richtopia.
At the heart of Brusuelas’ work at RSM is the Middle Market Business Index (MMBI), a first-of-its-kind economic index designed to accurately reflect business conditions in “the real economy.” The middle market in the United States consists of roughly 200,000 firms with annual revenues between $10 million and $2 billion, which account for 40% of GDP and one-third of the U.S. labor force.
Before joining RSM in 2014, Brusuelas spent four years as a senior economist at Bloomberg L.P. and the Bloomberg Briefs newsletter group, where he co-founded the award-winning Bloomberg Economic Brief. Earlier in his career, he was a director at Moody's Analytics covering the U.S. and global economies for the Dismal Scientist website. He also served as chief economist at Merk Investments L.L.C. and chief U.S. economist at IDEAglobal.
Brusuelas completed all economy and public policy dissertation requirements for his Ph.D. at the University of Southern California.
Featured insights
The Real Economy
A monthly publication to help the middle market anticipate and address the unique issues and challenges facing their businesses.
RSM US Middle Market Business Index
The Q4 MMBI eased modestly to 127.5. Readings on the economy, revenues, net earnings and hiring remained essentially unchanged.
recent perspectives
RSM US Middle Market Business Index
The Q4 MMBI eased modestly to 127.5. Readings on the economy, revenues, net earnings and hiring remained essentially unchanged.
RSM Middle Market Business Index: December 2020
The RSM US Middle Market Business Index registered 121.2 in December, down only modestly from 123 in November.
The Real Economy: Volume 73
We examine the current aid package, racial equity, wages, the vaccine and senior housing, manufacturing and trade, and remote work trends.
K-shaped wage environment: Abnormalities in wage and benefit growth
The economic distortions of the pandemic are becoming increasingly evident in the divergent fortunes of U.S. workers.
Late year fiscal aid lifts growth prospects for 2021
Congress passed a $900 billion rescue package that includes funds for midsize companies, direct payments to households and jobless benefits.