Topic: Financial Markets

Central Banking, Financial Markets, Inflation

War Of Words Over Inflation Stirs Questions for the Fed

– May 15, 2021

“Does it make sense, for a nation founded on the notion of individual liberty, equality under the law, and personal property rights, to allow a government agency to manipulate the value of the currency used by its citizens? Would it be better to have a stable monetary foundation to facilitate free-market outcomes, rather than empower the Federal Reserve to distort interest rates and dilute dollars in the service of government policy?” ~ Judy Shelton

Economic Education, Financial Markets, Monetary Policy

The Lumber Market Delirium

– May 11, 2021

“A sordid cocktail of Covid lockdowns and expansionary monetary policy have led to explosive conditions in long-docile lumber markets.” ~ Peter C. Earle

Economic Education, Economic Trends, Financial Markets

The Everything Bubble and What it Means for Your Money

– April 28, 2021

“The Everything Bubble is a grand illusion, money is growing more plentiful, credit more available. Asset prices are not really rising; it is the value of money which is being systematically undermined. I wonder whether the motto for this pandemic will be carpe diem, quam minimum credula pecunia – seize the day, place no trust in money?” ~ Colin Lloyd

Economic Education, Financial Markets

The Buffett Indicator: Reasons for Doubt

– April 16, 2021

“There are other reasons for the Buffett Indicator ratio to be trending higher. Corporate earnings are growing nearly twice as rapidly as the growth in nominal GDP. The Buffett indicator, though at high historical levels, is not per se signaling that the market is overvalued.” ~ Gregory van Kipnis

Crisis, Financial Markets, Monetary Policy

Inflationary Inflection Point or Temporary Blip?

– March 27, 2021

“If bond yields cannot rise, the stock market will remain supported unless stagflation sets in. Should that transpire, the Fed will need to decide whether to ignore inflation and increase monetary stimulus, including the purchase of ETFs and common stock, in order to maintain full employment, or ‘hold’ and witness a politically unpalatable clearing of both the stock and bond market.” ~ Colin Lloyd

Financial Markets, Fiscal Policy, Monetary Policy

Where New Zealand Goes, the World Goes

– March 26, 2021

“In the 1990s New Zealand pioneered inflation targeting, an approach that every major country followed for the next three decades. In a few years we might look back at this fleeting Kiwi attempt at incorporating asset markets into monetary policy with the same admiring eyes that we now see their move to inflation targeting. Where New Zealand goes, the world tends to follow.” ~ Joakim Book

Economic Education, Financial Markets, Media

The Business Economics of The Office

– March 24, 2021

“Though The Office may offer a somewhat exaggerated account of entrepreneurial alertness, economic calculation, and the vagaries of corporate management, the broader strokes of its characters’ endeavors are informative. Namely, these are concepts that lie in the pages of economics and business textbooks, accompanied by graphs that make the layman’s head turn. Yet, viewed through the lens of Dunder Mifflin’s trials and tribulations, these concepts become accessible––even subconsciously.” ~ Peter C Earle & Amelia Janaskie

Economic Education, Financial Markets

Lose a Ton of Money Fast With “Hot Stock Tips”

– March 21, 2021

“It warms my heart when a student or alum tells me they’ve opened a Roth IRA or when I can advise a high schooler who has been saving up so he can buy a share of Amazon stock to put the money in a mutual fund instead. Managing your money wisely isn’t especially glamorous, but it certainly beats risking it all and ending up with nothing.” ~ Art Carden

Cryptocurrency, Financial Markets

Bitcoin Continues Steady Mainstream Adoption

– March 10, 2021

“At the moment, the idea of cryptocurrency and blockchain technology is still emerging technology but at one point they were considered fringe. Their increasing adoption not only lends support for the ongoing rise of Bitcoin’s value but demonstrates an interesting inflection point for financial affairs.” ~ Ethan Yang

Central Banking, Economic Education, Financial Markets

The Back Door to Universal Basic Income

– March 9, 2021

“Low and falling barriers for lockdowns, stay-at-home orders, and other government-mandated nonpharmaceutical interventions are acting as a back door for the silent implementation of UBI & MMT schemes.” ~ Peter C. Earle & Kristoffer J. M. Hansen

Crisis, Economic Education, Financial Markets

How Did the Life Insurance Industry Survive the Pandemic?

– March 6, 2021

“It is of course a good thing that life insurers did not exacerbate the financial stresses brought on by the pandemic or its mitigation policies, which did indeed turn out to be the worst since the New Deal as I suggested in April 2020. ‘Tis a shame that nobody followed my suggestion, made that same month, to use life insurance data to provide an independent assessment of the pandemic’s progress.” ~ Robert E. Wright

Central Banking, Financial Markets

In Finance, Slow is Good

– March 3, 2021

“What the central bank RTGS/LSM two-step teaches us is that we need a good balance between fast and slow. Sure, real-time settlement is a nice feature. But let’s also have delayed settlement. If brokerages have a choice to use some combination of two-day and real-time settlement, we may arrive at a socially optimal stock settlement rate.” ~ J.P. Koning