Inflation remains arguably the most pressing economic issue in the US. Excluding food and energy, the personal consumption expenditure price index increased 5.1% from one year ago in September. Headline PCE inflation was 6.2%. But after a year of tightening at a pace not seen for four decades, experts wonder whether a recession is on the horizon.

To understand the challenges facing the Fed, Central Banking spoke with several economists. The first part of our roundtable conversation is below