Economy Dec 15 Why Doesn’t the U.S. Just Print More Money, Rather Than Borrow? Name: Bill Turner Question: Why does the U.S. borrow so much instead of printing as much money as we need? Paul Solman: Superb question. Two responses. Response 1: First, mightn't you borrow if you could get today's rate: a 30-year… By Elizabeth Shell
Economy Nov 19 The Confidence of Ben Bernanke in Germany "The Fed chairman's message, though scholarly in tone, was unusually blunt," wrote the Wall Street Journal, "laying blame for inflationary pressures in emerging markets and for tensions over currencies on countries like China." The Financial Times underscored another… By Elizabeth Shell
Economy Nov 19 The Confidence of Ben Bernanke in Germany For a speech by a Federal Reserve Chairman, Ben Bernanke's remarks on "global rebalancing" certainly weren't designed to fly under the radar. "The Fed chairman's message, though scholarly in tone, was unusually blunt," wrote the Wall Street Journal,…
Economy Nov 17 Economics is Missing A Funny Bone | An Interview With ‘Merle Hazard’ The [Fed's announcement](http://www.pbs.org/newshour/rundown/2010/11/fed-slow-growth-disappointing-will-engage-in-second-round-of-quantitiative-easing.html) of another round of so-called "quantitative easing" (QE2) is much in the news. Basically, it's an announced commitment to create $600 billion dollars or more of new "Federal reserves" - i.e., U.S. dollars - and [pump them… By Elizabeth Shell
Nov 11 American Debt and The Chinese Government: A Match Made in Purgatory? By Elizabeth Shell Editor's Note: The United States is in debt to the tune of $13.7 trillion. But for what, and to whom? Basically, the debt is the result of more spending that saving at every level, from individual households to businesses to… Continue reading
Nov 11 U.S. Debt and the Chinese Government: A Match Made in Purgatory? By Elizabeth Shell The United States is in debt to the tune of $13.7 trillion. But for what, and to whom? At its core, the debt is the result of more spending than saving at every level, from individual households to businesses… Continue reading