monetary policy

There has been quite a lot of hub-bub today about President Obama’s fat cat remarks and his meeting with bankers exhorting them to lend. Let me tie these events in with a few other themes into a comprehensive picture of what is happening in…

A friend Scott caught this article on Bloomberg about the latest economic figures out of Japan: Japan’s economy expanded less than a third of the pace initially reported in the three months to September as companies slashed spending.…

Andy Xie believes ultra-low interest rates in the U.S. and elsewhere are fuelling an asset price bubble which will pop dramatically in 2012.  In his view, the policies of the world’s central banks are reckless and will lead to worse…

This is an important question which Brad DeLong asks (Hat tip Mark Thoma). Here’s the logic: Right now, if you ask the decisive members of congress—by which I mean the Blue Dog Democrats in the House, or the most conservative Democrats…

"This is definitely a threat on the horizon," said Blaise Ganguin, the agency's European credit chief. Some 75 companies large enough to be rated face likely default in 2010 as the slow-burn effects of the crisis hit home.…

Here's a nice little music video on Alan Greenspan and all that he has wrought. Hat tip Scott.

The Financial Times reports that British regulators have now opened up to reveal more of the details surrounding the emergency aid banks received during the most acute periods of stress to date in the financial crisis.  Meanwhile, in…

This is a pretty wonkish post but I hope you appreciate the concepts presented. I made some allusions to modern monetary theory in a recent post when I asked, “If the U.S. stopped issuing treasuries, would it go broke?” The short answer is…

I pick up Bill Gross where I left him on Friday.  He said in his monthly newsletter that the Fed is going to keep interest rates at zero percent through 2010. But, he is not willing to stick his neck out in a liquidity seeking return…