One Chart Explains Why Government Debt Is Dragging on the Economy
By Dan Steinhart, Casey Research The US has too much debt. This is no longer a controversial statement. Some may believe other problems are more urgent, or that we need to grow our way out rather than...
View ArticleIn 1929, Deflation Started in Europe Before Overtaking the U.S.
Marcus Aurelius was the last of the “Five Good” Roman emperors and is also considered one of the most important members of the Stoic philosophers. He ruled Rome from 161 to 180 AD. He brilliantly...
View ArticleWorried About Inflation – Consider Inflation Indexed Bonds
Inflation Indexed Bonds (aka i-Bond)- Although inflation is currently low it is still a key concern for investors, because with interest rates at record lows and the FED promising to keep them there...
View ArticleWhat are “Foreign Exchange Reserves”?
Will the U.S. Dollar Be Replaced as the World’s Reserve Currency? Foreign Exchange Reserves are foreign money held by International banks for use in international trade and in an effort to diversify...
View ArticleGargantuan and Growing: The US Debt Figure You’ve Probably Never Heard Of
The widely reported $16.1 trillion federal US debt is a drop in the bucket Financial transparency is a must for U.S. publicly traded companies. But if the federal government had to abide by those same...
View ArticleSequestration, Currency Wars, Inflation and Ben Bernanke
By Douglas French Laissez Faire Club Only in government speak can more = less We thought for sure the shrill cries of Sequestration hell, fire and brimstone were going to get Congress to hit the panic...
View ArticleCould a Raise in Minimum Wage Trigger Inflation?
Here at Inflation Data we believe that all other things being equal the primary cause of inflation is an increase in the money supply, i.e. “too much money chasing too few goods.” But raising the...
View ArticleExperimental (Reckless) Monetary Policy
In the following article Bill Bonner makes some excellent points about the problem with the current monetary policy. The first is that it is totally ludacris to try to buy real goods with fake money....
View ArticleLessons from TARP Boss Neil Barofsky
By Bill Bonner Yesterday evening we drove down to Zombietown. A friend in Washington had promised to introduce us to Neil Barofsky, inspector general of the TARP program. You remember TARP? It was the...
View ArticleThe Effects of Tapering Off the FED’s Stimulus Program
Here’s an economic irony for you. Less inflation means lower prices for you and I. However, to some who work for the Federal Reserve, that means things are off target and the economy still needs more...
View ArticleRising Inflation vs. FED Tapering
Up until recently we rarely heard the word “tapering” but now it seems to be everywhere. Why? Because in June FED chairman Ben Bernanke floated a “trial balloon” and mentioned “tapering”. By this he...
View ArticleThe Case of the Disappearing Gold
When I was in the 6th grade (many, many years ago) my class took a field trip to New York City and visited the NY FED. The highlight of the trip for me was a ride down the elevator (or more precisely...
View ArticleHow The Federal Reserve is Making Us Poorer
In today’s article Lacy Hunt looks at the Federal Reserve’s economic model and a few important questions regarding their policy, including, “How accurate have the FED’s previous predictions been ?” and...
View ArticleTaper Caper: Has the FED Been “Politicized” or “Captured”?
By Ben Hunt, Ph.D. Two things happened this week with the FOMC announcement and subsequent press conferences by Bernanke, Bullard, etc. – one procedural and one structural. The procedural event was the...
View ArticleWhat’s So Bad about Shutting the Government Down?
It all seems a bit silly. On Monday the National Park Service declared that the open-air Veterans Memorial would be closed during the shutdown. After all they have to prove there is some “pain”...
View ArticleBLS Recovering From Shutdown
The government shutdown is over and the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics is recovering from their unscheduled vacation. The United States federal government shutdown of 2013, lasted from October 1 to...
View ArticlePushing on a String, Velocity of Money and Money Multiplier Conspire Against...
Under certain circumstances such as high national indebtedness, fear of bad economic times or when interest rates approach zero, monetary policy becomes ineffective in enticing consumers into spending...
View ArticleWhat Causes Unemployment?
I recently received the following question about unemployment from a gentleman in Tanzania and I thought it was a good question and I would share the answer with you. What Causes Unemployment? I have...
View ArticleThe FDA Thinks You’re Stupid
I always bristle when I hear that the government is doing something for my own good. Generally, I prefer to decide what’s best for me by myself. Obviously, there are exceptions relating to criminal...
View ArticleFED Looks for New Ways to Crank Up Money Supply
With all the talk about “Tapering” you’d think the FED was actually considering reducing it’s money pumping. But in actuality that is not it at all. The FED is afraid that it is creating a a bubble in...
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