Relevant and even prescient commentary on news, politics and the economy.

The G20 and the (Non)Pursuit of Financial Stability

by Joseph Joyce The G20 and the (Non)Pursuit of Financial Stability One of the legacies of the response to global financial crisis was supposed to be a renewed focus on international financial stability. A manifestation of this effort was the transformation of the Financial Stability Forum by the Group of Twenty (G20) into the Financial […]

Comment on Delong commenting on Bernanke and “Summers”

In this rather long post Brad (who writes faster than most people can read causing potentially inefficient fixed pixel formation) Brad spends an odd amount of time critiquing some neo-Austrian and Singer the inflation truther. But then he discusses the thoughts Bernanke and Summers, which are well worth discussing. Ben Bernanke says that there is […]

The theory of global imbalances: mainstream economics vs. structural Keynesianism

Dan here…Thomas Palley is Senior Economic Policy Advisor, AFL-CIO Washington DC. Here he addresses the issues of trade imbalances in a paper worth considering. by Thomas Palley The theory of global imbalances: mainstream economics vs. structural Keynesianism Prior to the 2008 financial crisis there was much debate about global trade imbalances. Prima facie, the imbalances […]

Oil Price Slide – No Good Way Out

Dan here… Gail is an actuary interested in finite world issues – oil depletion, natural gas depletion, water shortages, and climate change. Oil limits look very different from what most expect, with high prices leading to recession, and low prices leading to inadequate supply.  Her blog Our Finite World offers an extensive look at these issues. […]

The German euro is undervalued

I keep telling people that the German euro is undervalued, but some folks seem not to believe me. (See the comments section from this post last year for an example.) But this is a really big deal. The dominant narrative about the eurozone crisis is that fiscally irresponsible countries like Greece were bringing the once-proud […]

oil and markets

Bloomberg news points to continued trends in oil production and prices.   Yves Smith also comments here. …Conventional oil producers in OPEC can no longer dictate prices, United Arab Emirates Energy Minister Suhail Al-Mazrouei said in an interview on Nov. 26. Newcomers to the market who have the highest costs and created the glut should […]

Thanksgiving and the economics of sharing

Dan here…this piece is originally published at Oxford University Press by Angry Bear Edward Lambert. by Edward Lambert Thanksgiving and the economics of sharing For this American, my favorite holiday has always been Thanksgiving. Why? I have an image in my mind of Native Americans and colonists meeting and sharing food together; they share knowledge […]