Topic: Fiscal Policy

“The Financial Crisis: A Timeline of Events and Policy Actions”

– June 29, 2010

“February 2007 February 27, 2007 | Freddie Mac Press Release The Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation (Freddie Mac) announces that it will no longer buy the most risky subprime mortgages and mortgage-related securities. April 2007 April 2, 2007 | SEC …

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“Fed Watch: Europe Debt Crisis May Lead to More Cautious FOMC”

– June 22, 2010

“Federal Reserve officials could express more caution about the U.S. economy’s recovery after their meeting this week, giving them additional reason to keep short-term interest rates close to zero for a while. The three meetings of the Fed’s policy-set …

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Greenspan Warns of Fiscal Profligacy

– June 18, 2010

In a Wall Street Journal op-ed, former Fed Chairman Alan Greenspan warns of U.S. fiscal profligacy, in part fuelled by the current low borrowing costs of the government: “Despite the surge in federal debt to the public during the past 18 months—to $8.6 …

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Greek Government Junk Bonds

– June 18, 2010

The Greek crisis rolls on.  This week yields on Greek government bonds rose by almost 3/4 of a percentage point to 9.06 percent as Moody’s–a rating agency–downgraded its debt to junk bond status citing “substantial” risks in connection with the three …

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“China May Have Dug a Financial Hole”

– June 18, 2010

“In late 2008, with the financial crisis rippling through the global economy, China’s leaders embarked on a two-year, $586 billion spending program to try to stave off a recession and keep the Chinese economy growing. Unlike in the United States — whe …

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European Weakness Is Fuelling U.S. Profligacy

– June 16, 2010

The European debt crisis has demonstrated the painful costs of fiscal profligacy and short-sighted Keynesian stimulus. In the words of financial historian Niall Ferguson, “there is no such thing as a Keynesian free lunch,” warning that a “greek crisis” …

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“AIG Repayment Prospects Fade”

– June 4, 2010

“Taxpayers have lent AIG $132.6 billion, but the probability that the government would recoup all of those funds fell even further this week after the insurer failed to complete a crucial asset sale.  AIG had agreed in March to sell Asian life insuranc …

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The Return of Financial Repression?

– May 25, 2010

Financial repression was used extensively by governments in the post-war period and is still common today in emerging markets such as China. As Cato scholar James Dorn writes in a recently posted commentary, “Financial repression is a hallmark of China …

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The Euro – a Greek Drachma in Disguise

– May 20, 2010

The Euro keeps tumbling as international investors are loosing faith in the Eurozone. The currency has so far fallen 14 percent against the dollar this year. There is fear that contagion could trigger “Greek” debt crises among other EU countries with w …

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Nouriel Roubini – Return to the Abyss

– May 18, 2010

“If fiscal imbalances are not addressed through spending cuts and revenue increases, only two options remain: inflation for countries that borrow in their own currency and can monetize their deficits; or default for countries that borrow in a foreign c …

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Roche – Not the way to solve the debt crisis

– May 13, 2010

“the world is facing a major sovereign debt crisis that will squeeze economic growth and possibly deliver a series of debt default events down the road. Sovereign debt issuance is now sucking up 25 per cent of available world savings and that will sque …

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“The Relationship Between Inflation and the Budget Deficit in Turkey”

– May 13, 2010

“For Turkey, Metin (1995) analyzed inflation using a general framework of sectoral relationships and found that fiscal expansion was a determining factor for inflation. The excess demand for money affected inflation positively, but only in the short ru …

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