Frank A. Fetter, Chapter 17: Desires, Choice, and Value

Direct and indirect means of livelihood

ECONOMICS, as pointed out in Chapter I, is the study of the various problems which arise when men try to make a living. Making a living is getting the means of living — first, the barest physical necessities, and then the comforts and refinements that men desire. A solitary man getting his living on a desert island would be dealing only with the impersonal materials and forces of nature, the physical environment. Nevertheless certain economic problems arise even there, and certain simple economic principles apply.

How to Interpret the Shape of the Yield Curve

Historically most recessions in the US are preceded by significant declines in the differential or interest rate spread between the 10-year T-bond and the 3-month Treasury security. Typically, this narrowing in the spread occurs many months before the onset of the recession.

Conversely, the widening in the spread occurs many months before the beginning of the economic recovery.

What is the reason for these changes in the interest rate spread?

Browse the Quarterly Journal of Austrian Economics

We’ve recently made it easier for readers to browse the Quarterly Journal of Austrian Economics

You can now browse all issues in chronological order here, and you can download full issues or individual articles as PDFs. 

Right now, all articles are linked going back nine years, and we’ll continue to add more links. In either case, all articles are listed going back to 1998. 

The Government Spies on All of Us — So Why Not Spy on Trump?

There was high drama last week when Rep. Devin Nunes announced at the White House that he had seen evidence that the communications of the Donald Trump campaign people, and perhaps even Trump himself, had been “incidentally collected” by the US government.

If true, this means that someone authorized the monitoring of Trump campaign communications using Section 702 of the FISA Act. Could it have been then-President Obama? We don’t know. Could it have been other political enemies looking for something to harm the Trump campaign or presidency? It is possible.