The Federal Reserve has been on a media campaign to sell its monetary policy to main street, but as the Wall Street Journal noted yesterday it hasn’t gone smoothly. Frankly, I have to wonder how the Fed will spin this mornings news about the surge in wholesale prices, which were lead by the largest jump […]
Federal Reserve
The Fed’s Easy Money Skeptic
Mary Anastasia O’Grady has slightly disturbing interview with Philadelphia Federal Reserve bank president Charles Plosser in today’s Wall Street Journal: Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke was on Capitol Hill this week to answer critical questions about monetary policy, amid rising bond yields and sharply higher commodity prices. Mr. Bernanke showed no self-doubt, and Friday’s resignation […]
Arthur Laffer: Get Ready for Inflation and Higher Interest Rates
If you haven’t read economist Arthur Laffer’s Op Ed in today’s Wall Street Journal you should. Mr. Laffer explains how the Federal Reserves unprecedented expansion of the money supply could lead to rising inflation and interest rates that would make the ’70s look benign: Rahm Emanuel was only giving voice to widespread political wisdom when […]
Bernanke’s Deficit Warning
There’s been a fair bit of buzz about Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke’s remarks about the need for deficit reduction during his testimony before Congress yesterday. Many commentators are interpreting Chairman Bernanke’s as bad news for Obamanomics and are arguing that deficit fears will force him to scale back his spending agenda. I disagree. I […]
Were Healthy Banks Forced Forced to Surrender Ownership Stakes to Government?
Were Healthy Banks Forced Forced to Surrender Ownership Stakes to Government? It’s question that needs to be answered… From reading this CNSNews.com piece it would seem at least a few “healthy” banks were forced into surrendering ownership stakes to the government: Last October, then-Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson ordered nine banks that the Treasury Department described […]
TARP Price Tag Could Reach $2.9 Trillion?
CNSNews has a rather frightening report on the Special Inspector General for the Troubled Asset Relief Program’s report to congress. In short the report says that although Congress limited the Treasury Dept. to spending only $700 billion on TARP the program’s partnerships with the Federal Reserve and the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation could bring the […]
Holy Crap: $12.8 Trillion Spent, Lent or Committed???
From Bloomberg News: March 31 (Bloomberg) — The U.S. government and the Federal Reserve have spent, lent or committed $12.8 trillion, an amount that approaches the value of everything produced in the country last year, to stem the longest recession since the 1930s. New pledges from the Fed, the Treasury Department and the Federal Deposit […]
Here We Go Again: Feds Agree to Citibank Bailout
From the Wall Street Journal: The federal government agreed Sunday to take unprecedented steps to stabilize Citigroup by moving to guarantee close to $300 billion in troubled assets weighing on the bank’s books. Treasury has agreed to inject an additional $20 billion in capital into Citigroup under terms of the deal hashed out between the […]