(A) Monetary Policy

By David Malpass – The Fed’s bond purchases make matters worse by enabling Washington’s fiscal irresponsibility.

The Federal Reserve’s monetary policy is broken. Normalization of interest rates has been needed for years to allow markets, not regulators, to allocate capital. But with interest rates at 5.5% and the dollar strong, the inflation battle must shift to the problem of government spending and regulation. The Fed’s silence on the fiscal and regulatory roots of this inflation crisis, and its insistence on using an antiquated inflation model that blames growth and jobs for price hikes, risks an even weaker U.S. economy. Read More

By Spencer Jakab – Say you added just 1 percentage point to the average interest rate in the CBO’s forecast …That would result in an additional $3.5 trillion in federal debt by 2033. The government’s annual interest bill alone would then be about $2 trillion. For perspective, individual income taxes are set to bring in only $2.5 trillion this year.

Compound interest has a way of quickly making a bad situation worse—the sort of vicious spiral that has caused investors to flee countries… Read More

By Judy Shelton – Going back those 40 some years, we can draw lessons … about how to coordinate monetary and fiscal policy effectively. …The Reagan plan consisted of four parts: “(1) substantial reduction in the growth of federal expenditures, (2) significantly reduced federal tax rates, (3) prudent relief of federal regulatory burdens, and (4) a monetary policy on the part of the independent Federal Reserve System consistent with those policies.”…“The goal of this Administration is to nurture the strength and vitality of the American people by reducing the burdensome, intrusive role of the federal government; by lowering tax rates and cutting spending; and by providing incentives for individuals to work, to save, and to invest. It is our basic belief that only by reducing the growth of government can we increase the growth of the economy.” Read More