Monetary Theory

Bernanke assured the national audience that the Fed was not printing money; however, he didn't explain where the Fed was going to get the funds to buy $600 billion worth of treasuries.

The economist should not allow his readers to accept the current myth that inflation is a scourge that governments try, with varying success, to keep in check. This myth is one of the consequences of economists generally failing to make explicit their assumptions.

I have not been persuaded by Mish's alternate framework. To be clear, I'm not arguing that Mish's fans should abandon their hero. Rather, I will simply point out that Mish's "calls" have not been nearly as prescient as he so often claims.

It is the seeking of profits that is the key to increased living standards for everyone. But high profits do not necessarily correspond to real economic growth and can come about due to adverse circumstances.

Recorded at the Mises Circle at Furman Universityon November 13th, 2010.

Recorded at the Mises Circle at Furman University on November 13th, 2010.

When governments try to confer an advantage to their exporters through currency depreciation, they risk a war of debasement. In such a race to the bottom, none of the participants can gain a lasting competitive edge.

The key to avoiding "busts" is to avoid the credit expansion and "booms" that cause them. Booms are not periods of prosperity but of the squandering of wealth. The longer they last, the worse is the devastation that follows.

The worst of Bernanke's statements came in 2006, near the zenith of the housing bubble. This was the era of the subprime mortgage, the interest-only mortgage, the no-documentation loan, and the heyday of mortgage-backed securities.

Even though these economists — especially Diamond — are very smart and productive, they and their colleagues have hardly helped the plight of the unemployed, as we stumble ever deeper into depression.