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Trade Deficits and Fiat Currencies

Wow, you know I must be super busy if I forgot to blog my Mises Daily on Monday. It was “Trade Deficits and Fiat Currencies,” showing the connection between the two. I both praise and critique the author of The Creature From Jekyll Island. This morning I gave my talk at the Denver Petroleum Club. […]

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Something New to Fret About: The U.S.’ "Green Trade Deficit"

Just when you thought the “green recovery” plans couldn’t get more inefficient: Green investment is a major pillar of the president’s economic recovery plan. Yet, America’s dependence on foreign countries to produce green technologies may undermine this recovery strategy. Using a list of green goods derived from the Organization of Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) […]

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Follow-Up On Free Trade and Household Analogy

I think Don Boudreaux would be fine with me quoting his comment from my previous post here in the big lights. So I’ll break his comment up and respond piecemeal. Bob: Thanks. Your example is valid, but I believe that it doesn’t cast any suspicion on the household analogy (which, of course, was used also […]

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Free Traders Might Want to Be More Careful With the Household Analogy

I am friends with Don Boudreaux and I love that he is hammering away on free trade. (Check out this cool post showing how much more knowledgeable Reagan was compared to Trump.) But I also get bored and like to make nitpicky remarks. So take this post in that light. Don favorably links to a […]

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For Krugman, the Size of a Deficit Depends on the Point He’s Trying to Make

This is barely worth blogging about, since I know exactly what Krugman’s apologists will say, but what the heck? I love it when Landsburg criticizes Krugman, so this post is for his psychic enjoyment… In a March 28 post, Krugman wrote: “Back in the Reagan years two unprecedented things began happening to the US economy. […]

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Murphy Twin Spin on International Trade and Currencies

To get you warmed up, I tell people to stop worrying about the yuan in the Freeman. An excerpt: When Krugman and others complain about the Chinese keeping their currency “artificially weak,” what they really mean is that the Federal Reserve—under both Alan Greenspan and Ben Bernanke—has been out-inflating the rest of the world. Under […]

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Idiot Check on International Trade Accounts

[UPDATE in the block quote…] I have this as a footnote in a forthcoming article. Can people please confirm its accuracy, or did I get it backwards? (And note, I don’t just mean, “Is this generally right?” I mean, is this exactly right, or did I flip it?) [UPDATE: Edited due to comments. But it […]

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Commodity Traders Understand Economics 101

Gold jumped up about $50/oz. because of the Fed’s announcement to buy $300 billion in long-term U.S. government debt. I’m glad to see the gold traders get it. We are dangerously close to the situation where the Fed creates money out of thin air and then “loans” it directly to the Treasury to finance the […]

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