Alan Greenspan, RIP
Alan Greenspan, the influential former chairman of the Federal Reserve who shaped U.S. economic policy for decades, has died. He served as Fed chair from 1987 to 2006, overseeing periods of growth and crisis. Greenspan was known for his free-market views and opaque communication style.
Background
Alan Greenspan served as Chairman of the U.S. Federal Reserve (the central bank) from 1987 to 2006, spanning four presidential administrations. He was celebrated for steering the economy through the 1990s boom and the dot-com bubble, but heavily criticized after the 2008 financial crisis for keeping interest rates too low and opposing regulation of derivatives. His reputation shifted from "Maestro" (the title of a famous biography) to a symbol of the deregulatory consensus blamed for the crash. The news of his death in 2026 revives this debate about his legacy.