An exchange I had last week with Econbrowser reader (and world-renowned scholar) Simon van Norden may be of interest to broader readers, so I lift it here from the comments:
Monthly Archives: August 2011
Rebalancing Update
Some groups have overstated the need for immediate fiscal retrenchment in order to push an agenda spending cuts, when in fact we face more serious problems of medium and long term spending growth and lagging tax revenues, and overall increasing indebtedness to the rest-of-the world. That second point (which I first made in 2005 [0] ) has been somewhat neglected in the (misplaced) focus on reining in spending at the short horizon.
Fundamentals, speculation, and oil prices
I was in Washington DC last week, arriving right after the earthquake and getting out of town just before Irene, to attend a conference on commodity markets at the Commodity Futures Trading Commission. Here are some of the remarks I made at the conference on the role of speculation and fundamentals in recent oil price movements.
Dollar Watch
In the excitement over the debt ceiling debate, the increasing extent of fiscal drag, and anxiety about an economic slowdown, I have neglected discussion of the dollar. I still think that continued dollar depreciation is necessary to effect global rebalancing. I’d prefer it to happen by way of expansionary monetary policy, but we might get dollar depreciation as intransigent policymakers work hard to destroy the safe-haven role of US Treasury securities. [0] So, while all eyes are on Jackson Hole, here’s a quick, stream of consciousness review of some dollar-related issues.
Where can America find more income and jobs?
In January 2008, ExxonMobil and Norway’s Statoil announced a promising discovery in the Julia Field in the Gulf of Mexico that may contain a billion barrels of oil. In October of that year, Exxon applied for a 5-year extension of the lease for time to develop a suitable development plan. To the company’s surprise, the U.S. Department of Interior denied the request in February 2009, and has continued to turn down subsequent appeals. The company has
filed a lawsuit to have the decision overturned.
Fidei defensor
Or, some people continue to defend the view that rapid inflation is just around the corner
An Econbrowser reader writes, in defense of Governor Perry’s assertion that the Fed is debasing the currency: “The CPI is not a valid indicator of ‘debasement.'” I think this comment provides a wonderful example of the Alice in Wonderland world in which some people reside — if the data do not cooperate, redefine the terms!
Waiting for the Fed to act
Economic conditions are deteriorating. Here’s how and when the Fed might intervene.
Tax Expenditures
Not dead yet
We had a couple of pretty scary economic developments last week, but as far as I can tell, we’re still standing.