Solveig Singleton is a policy analyst focusing on consumer finance issues at the Cato Institute’s Center for Monetary and Financial Alternatives.
Washington, D.C.
Joined July 2025
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I explore policy problems underlying the legal issues raised by the 8th Circuit in the October 26th Corner Post decision. Debit fee price controls were not a good idea—and not a problem court deference to the Fed could solve.
cato.org/blog/its-time-get-r…
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My new blog focuses on an under discussed topic: The Fed’s semiannual monetary policy report to Congress.
The report offers almost nothing useful. Here’s how to fix it:
cato.org/blog/make-feds-repo…
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Even IF the trade deficit were brought to zero, tariffs would be a bad policy as it would have been govt interference in the free allocation of resources.
It’s hard to overstate how bad this policy is given that the deficit didn’t shrink and manufacturing didn’t rise.
Tariffs were supposed to “fix” the trade deficit.
Instead, the U.S. trade deficit jumped 13.7% in August to $105.6B as imports hit a record $420.8B.
But here’s the bigger point: a trade deficit is not a scoreboard showing America “losing.” Many of those imports are capital goods, semiconductors, machinery, and inputs Americans use to invest and produce. It’s not a zero-sum game.
Stop trying to centrally plan trade flows. End tariffs. Lower barriers. Let Americans buy and sell freely.
👀 bea.gov/data/intl-trade-inve…
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The tariff debate keeps grading them on inflation, factory jobs, or the trade deficit. Tariffs have failed on all those metrics, but they would be bad policy even if they hadn’t.
Read my and @norbertjmichel latest here:
cato.org/blog/tariff-debate-…
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Are data brokers an end-run around the Fourth Amendment? Tune in to @CatoInstitute Surveillance Week to find out what is happening.
cato.org/events/cato-surveil…
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Step 1: CBDC expanded
Step 2: Cryptocurrency restricted
Who could have guessed?
themoscowtimes.com/2026/10/1…
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Sisyphus was condemned by the gods to push a boulder uphill, only to watch it roll back down again and again.
After years of pushing for regulatory clarity, crypto appears doomed to a similar fate.
Ryan Chan-Wei via @coindesk buff.ly/FSQ6vOJ
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Financial surveillance in America is expanding.
@EconWithNick sits down with Representative @WarrenDavidson to discuss the growing reach of the Bank Secrecy Act, and why it’s time to scale back the surveillance of law-abiding Americans. buff.ly/7TkgFtF
cato.org/blog/recommendation…
I consider the intersection of privacy and tech policy with federal policymakers efforts to fight scams.
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From 16th-century Rome to Georgian London, attempts to ban prediction markets have failed to stamp them out.
A lesson for US lawmakers: prohibiting markets that enable price discovery doesn't work; targeting bad actors does.
Ryan Chan-Wei via @washingtonpost washingtonpost.com/opinions/…
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Many policymakers share the same concerns about the CFPB, but politics have muddled the chance for reform.
If they took a second to look around, maybe they'd realize measures like the CFPB Reform Act of 2026 should be welcomed across party lines.
@SolveigSinglet buff.ly/UuTmjMN
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Listen to the full podcast here: buff.ly/uNVYygs
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For more than a century, the Federal Reserve has accumulated responsibilities far beyond monetary policy.
The @CatoInstitute’s @EconWithNick, @NortbertJMichel & @JaiKedia break down what the Fed actually controls and what it doesn't here. buff.ly/yHiyNc0
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The Trump administration decreased Bank Secrecy Act reporting thresholds last year from $10,000 to $200, crushing valuable business for many small companies.
While the threshold has since been moved to $1,000, the damage is already done.
@EconWithNick buff.ly/sdQQqC9
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Tune in now @CatoInstitute for our discussion on the future of capital markets and what comes next!
- Why did American financial markets become the envy of the world?
- How have they contributed to prosperity?
- And what role Washington should—or should not—play in sustaining them?
Join Cato for our annual conference featuring leading scholars, historians, and policymakers.
nitter.cf/i/broadcasts/1pJdRDYjP…
Solveig M Singleton retweeted
Is it true that free market policies "emptied out" Midwestern cities, or that Midwestern cities emptied out at all?
A closer look at the data reveals this common narrative is likely a fairytale.
@NorbertJMichel, @JaiKedia & @JeromeFamularo buff.ly/4NjiZH8
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AHS data shows a similar flat trend. @norbertjmichel and I looked into it last year: cato.org/blog/first-time-hom…
New @AEI report finds age of first-time homebuyers is actually *down* since 2000. Overall, pretty flat post financial crisis. Cash buyers not included in the data #housing aei.org/research-products/re…
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@JillCastilla is the best! Thank you for coming to DC on this crazy day!
Honored to represent community banking @CatoInstitute’s America’s 250 Year Financial Experiment - our nation’s community banks are the backbone of our incredible economy.
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Interest rates would be low if the govt didn't add inflationary pressure through war, tariffs, and excessive reckless spending.
The Fed is at fault too but it is not the main culprit.
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I appeared on @AJEnglish to discuss the Fed's rate hike and what it means for Fed independence, inflation, and broader interest rates.
Watch here:
youtu.be/hLMi4VF4nQ8?si=IfMA…
