The Fed

The "2 percent" inflation target is purely arbitrary, and mainstream economists can't agree on the "right" level. It's all folly, and Austrian economics explains why. 

Fitch's downgrade of US government debt is a good thing, but not good enough.

Jonathan Newman joins Bob to explain why the data still support the case for recession and point out the eerie similarity to the calm before the storm in 2008.

The recent actions of the Federal Reserve are reminiscent of central bank activities in wartime.

Mark discusses the record levels of credit card debt.

David Brady, Jr. discusses his recent article at mises.org, in which he argues that the newly launched "FedNOW" system isn't a CBDC.

While FedNow seems benign, there is the larger problem of the entire banking system itself being built on a foundation of sand. FedNow can only make that problem worse.

George Gammon warns that the Fed won't have to force the public to adopt a central bank digital currency (CBDC). Instead, the public might clamor for it.

Dr. Jonathan Newman joins Tho to discuss the larger costs of Fed policy and how official government measures can be gamed with techniques such as "shrinkflation."

How can a bank “create money out of thin air”? We must enter the magical kingdom of “fractional-reserve banking,” where deposits are turned into loans, loans are turned into money, and so on, to find out.