Political Economy

As an unofficial Eurosceptic, I always view EU power grabs through a lens of distrust. Now, the EU is looking to increase its power by further regulating financial markets. But, the heavy-handiness of the regulation surely will be…

UPDATE: 23 Mar 2009: I am re-publishing this and a February post (Where is the outrage?) because of the situation at AIG. In my view, the outrage that has finally boiled over in the AIG bonus scandal has long been simmering. In reading…

In her column at Bloomberg News, Baum had this to say about the financial bailout solutions proposed by the U.S. government.How do we know the market failed if we don't allow it to work? Capitalism without failure is like religion without…

Senator Jim Bunning's classic line, "when I picked up my newspaper yesterday, I thought I woke up in France," was delivered before the Senate Banking Committee as Ben Bernanke, the Fed Chair, gave testimony. He was rightfully upset that…

When you start monkeying around with markets, strange things happen. This is what the SEC is about to learn as market makers from the seven options exchanges are preparing to ask for exemptions from the new anti-free market SEC…

In his prepared remarks at the Senate Banking Committee, Jim Bunning had a classic line.When I picked up my newspaper yesterday, I thought I woke up in France. But no, it turns out socialism is alive and well in America.-Bunning Senate…

The USSA is now taking form. As the housing debacle turns nasty, politicians and regulators are looking to turn away from the free markets toward I don't know what. And that ain't good.First, there is the Dodd bailout bill that passed the…

Apparently, the Bush administration isn't just waterboarding its detainees; it's doing much, much more. I can't hope this book will get enough press because the American people are completely apathetic, but this is a travesty. Does it…

Senator Jim Bunning (R-KY) blasted Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke, who was giving the semiannual monetary policy report before the Senate Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs Committee today. His comments were the sharpest I heard throughout the…

A month ago, the market was rampant with crazy speculation, not about if the Fed was going to raise rates, but when and by how much."Fed Funds futures now imply a near certainty of two 25 basis point rate increases by November."-FT, 10 Jun…