Economics

Archive for Economics

Someone Stop Bernanke Before He Kills Again

(I think I may be stealing that title from an LRC description of one of my previous articles.) Well Scott Sumner has found a scary Telegraph article explaining Bernanke’s plans for the economy. Of course, Sumner laments that Bernanke may not get his way. In any event, check this out: Fed watchers say Mr Bernanke […]

Dean Baker Looks at the Fed, and He Likes What He Sees

It’s really funny how economists can look at the same basic facts and reach such different conclusions. For example, I only recently really understood what the deal was with the Fed remitting its excess earnings back to the Treasury. And when I had finally comprehended the scheme, I concluded: The Fed is a giant counterfeiter! […]

Slight Correction to DeLong on the Austrians

Two things about this Brad DeLong post. First, I like the quote from a P.J. Grigg that DeLong disparages[actually I’m not sure if DeLong is for it or agin it] reproduces: I distrust utterly those economists who have with great but deplorable ingenuity taught that it is not only possible but praiseworthy for a whole […]

Krugman Has Booted the Hackers From His Blog Account

[UPDATE below.] OK I finally figured it out: Hackers must have left the CRU scene of the crime, and had temporarily gotten control of Krugman’s NYT blog account. But now things are back to normal. Today Krugman writes: So here’s where we are: China has done nothing to change its policy of massive currency manipulation, […]

Reynolds Doesn’t Think A Double Dip Is Coming

All Reynolds does in this piece is pick apart people who claim that unemployment figures are indicative that we are about to double dip. (HT2 DRH) OK, that’s fine as far as it goes. Anyway I think we are definitely in store for a “double dip.” I think this is the second Great Depression. I […]

A Krugman Kontradiction?

In which the author does his best impersonation of Scott Sumner… I am really really trying to understand Krugman on his recent jihad against fiscal austerity proponents. (See this for example, when Krugman begins eating his own. His point is, “Hey, I’m not being partisan, I’m saying everyone is dumber than me.”) Of course as […]

Krugman/Sumner Death Match: Let There Be Peace on Earth, and Let It Begin With Me

OK when I see Scott Sumner and Paul Krugman (also Mark Thoma) arguing over the best way to destro fix the economy–should Bernanke crank out more $100 bills to buy long-term government debt so the feds can buy more Predator drones, or should Pelosi borrow more directly from the private sector so the feds can […]

Are You Scared Yet?

[UPDATE below.] Alasdair Macleod wants to know what I think about this: Since I’m not a Keynesian, and actually believe in a structure of production, this is what I think. UPDATE: Mark Wise–whom I used to work with in the financial sector–talked me down from the ledge. He linked me here, and said: This is […]