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The Homo Economicus Myth
The Homo Economicus Myth Among the larger albatrosses burdening the economics profession is the idea of Homo economicus. To this day, most economics undergraduates hear about it in the context of neoclassical economics. Homo economicus, we are told, is the ideal economic man who always seeks to maximize profits and minimize costs. He only acts “rationally,” and rationalism is […]
The Specter of Hyperinflation Looms over the Economy
The Specter of Hyperinflation Looms over the Economy The threat of hyperinflation has haunted fiat money economies throughout history. Although past empires crumbled under the weight of unrestrained money printing, modern bankers at the Federal Reserve assure us that today’s financial system is immune to such a fate. Austrian business cycle theory, however, reveals that […]
The Fed Is a Purely Political Institution, and It’s Definitely Not a Bank.
The Fed Is a Purely Political Institution, and It’s Definitely Not a Bank. Those who know Wall Street lore sometimes recall that Fed chairman William Miller—Paul Volcker’s immediate predecessor—joked that most Americans believed the Federal Reserve was either an Indian reservation, a wildlife preserve, or a brand of whiskey. The Fed, of course, is none of […]
Global Rate Hikes Hit the Wall of Debt Maturity
Global Rate Hikes Hit the Wall of Debt Maturity More than ninety central banks worldwide are increasing interest rates. Bloomberg predicts that by mid-2023, the global policy rate, calculated as the average of major central banks’ reference rates weighted by GDP, will reach 5.5%. Next year, the federal funds rate is projected to reach 5.15 percent. Raising […]
No Surprise: Wall Street Wants to Raise the Target Inflation Rate above 2 Percent
No Surprise: Wall Street Wants to Raise the Target Inflation Rate above 2 Percent Price inflation in the United States remains stubbornly high, with October’s print at 7.7 percent. The Fed’s preferred measure, so-called core inflation is only two-tenths of a percent below 40-year highs, at 6.3 percent. Yet, it was just last year that […]
The Great Gold Robbery of 1933
The Great Gold Robbery of 1933 It’s been 75 years since the federal government, on the spurious grounds of fighting the Great Depression, ordered the confiscation of all monetary gold from Americans, permitting trivial amounts for ornamental or industrial use. This happens to be one of the episodes Kevin Gutzman and I describe in detail […]
The Fed Is Winging It: A 75 Basis-Point Hike “Seemed Like the Right Thing”
The Fed Is Winging It: A 75 Basis-Point Hike “Seemed Like the Right Thing” The Federal Reserve’s Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) today announced an increase of 75 basis points to the target federal funds rate, raising the rate to 1.75% from 1%. June’s meeting today was the third meeting this year at which the FOMC has […]
Ending Fiat Money Won’t Destroy the State
Ending Fiat Money Won’t Destroy the State A certain meme has become popular among advocates of both gold and cryptocurrencies. This is the “Fix the money, fix the world” meme. This slogan is based on the idea that by switching to some commodity money—be it crypto or metal—and abandoning fiat currency, the world will improve […]
The Fed’s Inflation Is behind the Supply Chain Mess
The Fed’s Inflation Is behind the Supply Chain Mess It seems supporters of the Biden administration finally settled on a narrative they like for explaining away supply chain shortages. Here’s the administration’s talking point: the US economy is rolling along so well that Americans are demanding huge amounts of goods. That’s overwhelming the supply chain and […]
Shrinkflation, Inflation’s Sneaky Cousin, Is on the Rise
Shrinkflation, Inflation’s Sneaky Cousin, Is on the Rise Inflation has been on the rise for the past year and in the last few months it has accelerated. In June 2021, inflation, measured by the Consumer Price Index (CPI), hit the highest level since 2008. By inflation, economists refer to the increase in the general level of […]
The Dystopian Bubble: George Orwell Meets Charles Mackay
The Dystopian Bubble: George Orwell Meets Charles Mackay “Threats to freedom of speech, writing, and action, though often trivial in isolation, are cumulative in their effect and, unless checked, lead to a general disrespect for the rights of the citizen.” ~ George Orwell In early December I asked Jim Grant how to reconcile exuberant financial […]
Today’s Negative Rates Are the Path to Poverty
Today’s Negative Rates Are the Path to Poverty Almost Daily Grant’s (ADG) made the pronouncement on December 14th that a “new benchmark in financial repression” had been set: ”a record $18.4 trillion in global debt is priced to yield less than zero, up from less than $8 trillion in March and a five-year average of $10.3 trillion.” […]
The “Great Reset” and Plans for a Global War on Savings
The “Great Reset” and Plans for a Global War on Savings Global debt is expected to soar to a record $277 trillion by the end of the year, according to the Institute of International Finance. Developed markets’ total debt—government, corporate, and households—jumped to 432 percent of GDP in the third quarter. Emerging market debt-to-GDP hit […]
