Money and Banks

On New Year’s Eve 1974, President Gerald Ford snuck in an executive order legalizing private gold ownership, revoking FDR’s previous policies banning gold “hoarding.”

No macroeconomics or monetary theory course is complete without introduction of the Equation of Exchange, or MV = PQ. However, this equation explains nothing, praxeologically speaking. Instead, it clouds our understanding of how money fits into our economy. 

We have reached this point: the government keepers of money do not even understand what money is or why inflation is harmful. To them, the real threat to the economy is “deflation.”

Commercial real estate in the US faces major problems despite efforts by the Federal Reserve System to prop it up. Bonds used to finance commercial real estate markets are being hit especially hard, and there is no relief in sight.

Can an increase in the supply of gold cause a boom-bust cycle? Mises believed it was theoretically possible but highly unlikely. Rothbard, on the other hand, said as long as gold is money and there is no fiduciary media, such a scenario was not possible.

Bitcoin is many things to people and it certainly has developed into a valuable asset. It also has been used as a medium of exchange. But is it money? According to Austrian economics, the answer is “no.” At least not yet.

The theme that connected all of the weekend’s talks at the 2024 Supports Summit was “Our Enemy, the State.” It was a gathering of the "remnant," those who recognize that the government is our common enemy. These are selections from several of the talks.

While the US dollar still is the world‘s “reserve” currency, its abuse by the Federal Reserve and federal government has weakened it precipitously. While President-elect Trump recognizes the threats to the dollar, is he willing to do what needs to be done to change the situation?

Not all news from the gold and monetary fronts is bad. In fact, gold made a number of advancements in seven states, including exemptions from taxes and attempts by states to restrict Federal Reserve behavior. Gold is alive and well.

A central doctrine of the Keynesian system is the “liquidity trap” in which consumers hold money in anticipation of higher interest rates. The act of holding money allegedly promotes “underconsumption,” continuing the economic downturn. This doctrine, however, cannot withstand scrutiny.