Tag Archives: federal reserve
Salting the Economy to Death
One popular delusion that won’t seem to go away is the notion that policy makers can stimulate robust economic growth by setting interest rates artificially low. The general theory is that cheap credit compels individuals and businesses to borrow more … Continue reading
Garbage In Garbage Out Economics
“On two occasions I have been asked, “Pray, Mr. Babbage, if you put into the machine the wrong figures, will the right answers come out? …I am not able rightly to apprehend the kind of confusion of ideas that could … Continue reading
Lost in Extrapolation
In the late 1970s the impossible happened. Inflation and unemployment simultaneously went vertical. The leading economists of the day were flummoxed. The Phillips curve said there’s an inverse relationship between inflation and unemployment. When unemployment goes down, inflation goes up. … Continue reading
Potato Sack Economics
Fiscal policy, as opposed to monetary policy, is more readily understood by the general populace. Income taxes, budget deficits, the national debt. These are all tangible things the average working stiff can grasp a hold of, if they care to. … Continue reading
