The Fed

The Fed is talking about raising interest rates, but it knows that any move in that direction is likely to cause a recession and more economic pain. But it also knows it can't keep forcing down interest rates forever.

Recorded at the Mises Institute in Auburn, Alabama, on 23 July 2015.

Recorded at the Mises Institute in Auburn, Alabama, on 22 July 2015.

The Fed often uses the "natural rate" of unemployment to determine whether or not it should raise interest rates. But as with so many metrics the Fed uses, this one is based on arbitrary measures that can be manipulated to suit Fed policy.

Has the ECB failed as miserably in creating price stability?

Jeb Bush recently opined that to get more economic growth, people need to work more hours. What Bush fails to understand is that more employment is not the key to more economic growth. Saving and investment bring more productivity, which brings a better economy.

As usual, the former Fed chairman, author of many of our current economic ills, is confused.

Ben Bernanke reveals more about his own views when he commented on the $10 bill controversy to replace Alexander Hamilton. Bernanke attacked Secretary Jack Lew's idea to replace Hamilton with a women:

I’d like to think Mises would have spared a few minutes of his precious time “exploding the fallacy”—an often used expression in his writings—of Bernanke’s most recent musings.

Governments worldwide are turning to "financial repression" to manipulate the economy through easy money and aggressive regulation. In the end, we'll find it will amount to little more than slapping a band-aid on a serious problem.