Home » Posts tagged 'cobden centre'
Tag Archives: cobden centre
The Economy May Be Finally Peaking, and the Fed Won’t Help Matters
THE ECONOMY MAY BE FINALLY PEAKING, AND THE FED WON’T HELP MATTERS Here we go again it may seem to many. The Fed is preparing us for a policy tightening just when a powerful growth cycle upturn is faltering. Or is it in fact an example of another well-known type of error from Fed history—getting […]
The Futility of Central Bank Policy
THE FUTILITY OF CENTRAL BANK POLICY It is only now becoming clear to the investing public that the purchasing power of their currencies is declining at an accelerating rate. There is no doubt that yesterday’s announcement that the US CPI rose by 6.2%, compared with the longstanding 2% target, came as a wake-up call to […]
Economic Theory and Long-Wave Cycles
ECONOMIC THEORY AND LONG-WAVE CYCLES Investors and others are confused by the early stages of accelerating price inflation. One misleading belief is in cycles of industrial production, such as Kondratieff’s waves. The Kondratieff cycle began to emerge in financial commentaries during the inflationary 1970s, along with other wacky theories. We should reject them as an […]
Gold Standard and Boom Bust Cycles
GOLD STANDARD AND BOOM BUST CYCLES According to the Austrian Business Cycle Theory (ABCT), the boom-bust cycle emerges in response to a deviation in the market interest rate from the natural interest rate, or the equilibrium interest rate. It is held that the major cause for this deviation is increases in the money supply. Based […]
Review: Austrian Economics–An Introduction By Steven Horwitz
REVIEW: AUSTRIAN ECONOMICS – AN INTRODUCTION BY STEVEN HORWITZ June 27 saw the passing of economist Steven Horwitz at the age of 57. His loss will be felt by all who value not just human freedom and dignity, but also good economics, communicated well. Horwitz was heavily influenced by the ‘Austrian School’ of economics. What […]
Commodities, Supply-Chains and Structural Changes in Demand
COMMODITIES, SUPPLY-CHAINS AND STRUCTURAL CHANGES IN DEMAND Talk of a new commodity super-cycle may be premature Once GDP growth returns to trend, commodity demand will moderate Fiscal and monetary relief are key to maintaining growth and demand Structural changes in energy demand will prove more persistent As the spectre of inflation begins to haunt economists, […]
The Abuse of Public Debt–And How It Sets the Stage For Economic Disaster
THE ABUSE OF PUBLIC DEBT—AND HOW IT SETS THE STAGE FOR ECONOMIC DISASTER The 2020–21 recession has been devastating for the global economy. It has been ninety years since the global economy last suffered through a recession of this magnitude (in the Great Depression). Nonetheless, it seems that the social effects of the current recession […]
Monetary Inflation’s Game of Hide-and-Seek
MONETARY INFLATION’S GAME OF HIDE-AND-SEEK The May 12, 2021, press release from the Bureau of Labor Statistics reporting on the Consumer Price Index (CPI) for the month of April sent the stock markets tumbling for two days and generated fodder for the news pundits with the announcement that the CPI measure of the cost-of-living had increased […]
Relation Between Inflation and Deflation
RELATION BETWEEN INFLATION AND DEFLATION For most commentators inflation is about persistent increases in the prices of goods and services. However, is this the case? For example, the definition of human action is not that people are engaged in all sorts of activities as such, but that they are engaged in purposeful activities–purpose gives rise […]
Monetary Pumping and Resources
MONETARY PUMPING AND IDLE RESOURCES As a result of the recent strong stimulatory policies employed by the US government and the Fed, most commentators are of the view that the risk of a deepening slump in the US economy on account of the COVID-19 pandemic has now receded. Some other commentators are not so certain […]
Deflation: Friend or Foe?
DEFLATION: FRIEND OR FOE? Deflation is the most feared economic phenomenon of our time. The reason behind this a priori irrational fear (why should we be afraid of prices going down?) is the Great Depression. The most severe economic crisis of the 20th century was accompanied by a massive deflationary spiral that pushed prices down by 25% between 1929 […]
Economic and Monetary Outlook For 2021
ECONOMIC AND MONETARY OUTLOOK FOR 2021 The most important event in the new year is likely to be the Fed losing control of its iron grip on markets. The dollar’s declining trend is already well established against other currencies and commodities, leading to this outcome. Events in 2021 will be the consequence of a developing […]
Open Letter to Gregory Mankiw From Keith Weiner
OPEN LETTER TO GREGORY MANKIW FROM KEITH WEINER Dear Professor Mankiw: I am writing in response to your article in the New York Times, “The Puzzle of Low Interest Rates”. I commend you for recognizing two important truths, which are missed by many other observers. One, that there has been a breathtaking drop in the […]
Why We Need a Free Market in Money
WHY WE NEED A FREE MARKET IN MONEY What is fiat money and what does it do? This is essential to understand since today’s worldwide unbacked paper, or “fiat,” money regime is an economically and socially destructive scheme—with far-reaching and seriously harmful consequences. There is an answer, though, and this lies in ending the money production monopoly of […]
