Author Archive | krlatham

barclays

The Real Problem with Barclays

If you’ve been following the news lately then you have probably heard something about Barclays and interest rate fixing. Barclays is a massive banking corporation based in the UK with a large world-wide presence. By ‘interest-fixing’ financial commentators mean Barclay’s lied about the London Interbank Offered Rate (LIBOR) and the Euro Interbank Offered Rate (EURIBOR).…
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krugman3

Krugman does not understand Austrian Economics

The title should be no surprise by now.  Paul Krugman–arch-Keynesian–is once again misrepresenting what Austrian economics is. Krugman thinks the recent financial crisis can test (and prove) the superiority of Keynes prescriptions for an ailing economy. Before we delve into the specifics, consider the alternatives Krugman proposes: classical economics (he considers Austrian among them) and…
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Bubbles

Bubble Ahoy!

Is the economy in for another bubble? We’ve seen the housing bubble pop, and before that we had a tech bubble. These events divide the profession, as every economist has their own pet theory describing bubbles. Economics news hunters seek these bubbles much like Ahab sought Moby Dick; the first to spot the bubble (or…
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Chrysler

Did Obama save Chrysler?

That is very much the impression I got after reading this article from Think Progress the other day. And the facts are certainly there. Huge profits, debt repayment, a promising future, and plans to expand production and create jobs. Couldn’t have gone better, right? I agree with the author that Chrysler is doing well because…
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Dollars

The Origin of Money

A few weeks ago a blogger at CNBC discussed the relative merits of Austrian monetary theory in comparison to modern monetary theory (MMT). The issue at stake is the origins of money: Austrians highlight the fact money comes into existence as the medium of exchange, while MMT points to governments requiring people to pay taxes…
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