Author Archives: ffwiley
Technical Notes for ‘Banking Buffoonery’
This is an appendix to our earlier post, “Banking Buffoonery, Modeling Mysticism and Why Krugman Should Be Sweatin’ Bullets.” We discuss the Bank of England report and IS-LM model in more detail, using a Q&A format.
Banking Buffoonery, Modeling Mysticism and Why Paul Krugman Should Be Sweatin’ Bullets
We have a few things to say about the recent debunking of established monetary theories. In case you missed it, the Bank of England issued a report in March explaining that standard textbooks get money and banking all wrong. The … Continue reading
Technical Notes for ‘3 Underappreciated Indicators’
This is an appendix for our earlier post, “3 Underappreciated Indicators to Guide You through a Debt-Saturated Economy.” We’ll share a few extra charts and describe our use of the Fed’s flow of funds data, in Q&A format.
3 Underappreciated Indicators to Guide You through a Debt-Saturated Economy
If you’re my generation or older, you may remember taking the original Pepsi Challenge – the Coke versus Pepsi taste testing booths that you would find at sporting events, fairs and similar venues. I took the Challenge and stuck with … Continue reading
Is This What a Credit Bubble Looks Like?
There’s been some buzz recently about a pick-up in business lending. The six largest banks increased business loans at an average annual rate of 8.5% in the first quarter, according to a Wall Street Journal report last week. Other first … Continue reading
Bulls vs. Bears: Some Profit Margin Stories Are Better Than Others
[M]argins have been rising smartly–faster than Greenspan can ever recall. His only explanation: productivity… Greenspan argues that the U.S. is undergoing a productivity revolution not seen since early this century… In the longer term, he’s betting that as the world … Continue reading
Message to the Fed: Here Are a Few Things That You Can’t Do
[A]sset purchases are not on a preset course, and the Committee’s decisions about their pace will remain contingent on the Committee’s outlook for the labor market and inflation as well as its assessment of the likely efficacy and costs of … Continue reading
Did Today’s Flow of Funds Report Predict the Fed’s Next Confession?
In return for speaking fees reported to be “at least” $250,000, Ben Bernanke confessed a few of the Fed’s missteps while speaking to guests of the National Bank of Abu Dhabi on Tuesday: “Bernanke says he underestimated impact of subprime … Continue reading
What Needs to Happen Before We See a Big Recovery?
In a Bloomberg article last May, Caroline Baum summed up the economy nicely in a single question: Four-and-a-half years of an overnight rate near zero and aggressive securities purchases by the Fed have succeeded in raising asset prices. The question … Continue reading