Printing Money

Experimental (Reckless) Monetary Policy

In the following article Bill Bonner makes some excellent points about the problem with the current monetary policy. The first is that it is totally ludacris to try to buy real goods with fake money. It has to cause distortions in the overall economy. “People make different decisions when they can borrow for practically nothing… [...]

Why Inflation is U.S. Hottest Export

Last week, we  went to São Paulo, Brazil. There, too, we found taxi drivers who knew a lot  more about monetary crises than the typical US economist. Said one: I remember. I was just a kid.  But my father would call and tell us to run to the grocery store. He had just  been paid. [...]

Stimulate the Economy? Please Don’t!

Personally, I would love to see the inflation rate stay between 1 and 2% or better yet between 0% and 1%. Why? In the long run low inflation rates benefit everyone, as people can accurately judge their future costs and make sound business (or family management) decisions. In addition to making planning easier it also promotes [...]

Why Money Printing Makes You Poorer

Here is an excellent article by Bill Bonner on the announcement that Japan made that they are going to crank up the printing press and eliminate the deflation that has been plaguing their economy over the last twenty years. In it he explains the effects of money printing both short term and longer term. He [...]

What are “Foreign Exchange Reserves”?

Will the U.S. Dollar Be Replaced as the World’s Reserve Currency? Foreign Exchange Reserves are foreign money held by International banks for use in international trade and in an effort to diversify their holdings and hedge against the inflation of their own currency. The most common items bought and sold with their foreign exchange reserves [...]

Civil Liberties Rest Upon Sound Money

Sound Money = Freedom Over the years I have written many times about the necessity of sound money to base our economy on and the results of wanton reckless money creation that will alway result in inflation and a worthless currency either sooner or later. I’ve told you about how inflation affects you, and how [...]

Will Greece Follow Iceland or Weimar Germany?

In Iceland the bankers were told to stuff it. In Weimar Germany they resorted to the printing press. Which model will modern day Greece follow? It seems that the words Weimar Germany and Hyperinflation are almost synonymous. The Weimar Republic (Das Weimarer Republik in German) is the name of the democratic government which was established in [...]

What is the Significance of the Fiat Currency?

Editor’s Note: Last month in an article entitled What Is Fiat Currency? we told you that “Fiat currency is a term that is used to describe a currency which is created by “fiat” or “arbitrary order or decree” of the government.”  This month we would like to talk a little about the significance of Fiat currency.   [...]

The Effects of Quantitative Easing

Quantitative Easing Effects- You have probably heard that the massive inflation of the money supply through Quantitative Easing is going to result in hyperinflation or at least massive inflation. But so far that hasn’t happened. As a matter of fact since the end of QE2 in June of 2011 inflation rates have fallen from 3.63% [...]

What You Need to Know About the Federal Reserve System

The Federal Reserve System- If you saw the HBO movie “Too Big to Fail,” you may have the notion that the Federal Reserve System, commonly known as The Fed, deals with high level banking issues that have worldwide implications. And you would be right. But The Fed also regulates banking functions that affect individual Americans, [...]