Category: Economic Stimulus
The analysis published under this category are as follows.Monday, February 16, 2009
Obama Economic Stimulus: Truth and Consquences / Economics / Economic Stimulus
Martin Weiss writes: Never before have I learned so much so quickly from my readers as I have now — all just by reading the thousands of comments you have posted on my blog in the past week!
One of your key questions: Will the new Obama stimulus and banking bailouts succeed or fail?
Read full article... Read full article...
Sunday, February 15, 2009
China’s Stimulus Ignites Economy / Economics / Economic Stimulus
Don Miller writes: China's giant $585 billion (4 trillion yuan) economic stimulus package is showing signs of taking effect. Economists now project that China will be the likely leader of an elusive worldwide economic recovery.Read full article... Read full article...
Saturday, February 14, 2009
A Short History of U.S. Government Handouts / Politics / Economic Stimulus
Global economies are withering while Washington conceives "Financial Recovery Plan(s) from Hell," according to economist Michael Hudson in his latest February 11 article. Bankers demand more trillions, "or (they'll) plunge the economy into financial crisis." What they want they'll get, and here's where things now stand.Read full article... Read full article...
Thursday, February 12, 2009
Economic Growth and Debt: Is there a Trade Off? / Economics / Economic Stimulus
The Big Fix - The Obama administration apparently believes in a trade-off between growth and debt. It wants to stimulate fast growth and is willing to pay for it in the form of unprecedented increases in government debt, because it fully expects the growth to rake in tax revenues with which the debt can be retired. It invokes the experience with debt retirement after World War II. When the war ended, government debt stood at 120 percent of the gross national product, twice what it is now. The rapid economic growth during the 1950's and 1960's quickly reduced the debt. This is offered as a justification for the $800 billion stimulus package that is being railroaded through Congress, with more to follow later.Read full article... Read full article...
Tuesday, February 10, 2009
Pelosi Economic Stimulus Casts Shadow Over Obama, America and World / Politics / Economic Stimulus
In a sign that may reveal much about the current deal-making environment in Washington, House speaker Nancy Pelosi has outmaneuvered the Obama Administration in the design of the massive $827 billion so-called Economic Stimulus Package. With the collusion of three moderate Republican Senators - Collins, Snowe and Specter - Pelosi may succeed in steering President Obama into supporting a package with which he may secretly disagree.Read full article... Read full article...
Tuesday, February 10, 2009
Hacking the Obama Economic Stimulus Package / Politics / Economic Stimulus
Danny Schechter writes: It became clear Friday night that our economy may not recover until our politics do.
To President Obama, the delays and endless Congressional carping about his recovery plan was “inexcusable.” He was reduced to reading the latest unemployment numbers aloud as if to say, ‘what world are you guys in?
Read full article... Read full article...
Monday, February 09, 2009
Economic Stimulus Spending Breakdown Shows Repeating the Mistakes of Japan / Economics / Economic Stimulus
The Washington Post is Taking Apart the $819 billion Stimulus Package with a couple of graphs that show how and when the stimulus money will be spent. Here is one of the graphs.Read full article... Read full article...
Monday, February 09, 2009
Stimulus Financing Faces Major Difficulties as Treasury Bond Market Shows / Interest-Rates / Economic Stimulus
Martin Hutchinson writes: As I watch the $900 billion stimulus bill wind its way through Congress, knowing this will be piled atop the estimated 2009 deficit of $1.19 trillion, the longtime banker in me keeps asking the same worrisome question: How the devil are they going to finance all this rubbish?
A report released Wednesday by the U.S. Treasury Department's Borrowing Advisory Committee on the government's borrowing plans gave me the answer I expected: With great difficulty.
Read full article... Read full article...
Saturday, February 07, 2009
Financial Crisis Optimism as Deflation Gives Fed Room to Print Money / Economics / Economic Stimulus
- Thoughts on the Continuing Crisis
- The Right Direction, At Least
- The Jobs Will Come
- Can We Have a Little Inflation, Please?
- Those Wild and Crazy Analysts
When confronted about an apparent change of his opinions, John Maynard Keynes is reported to have said, "When the facts change, I change my mind. What do you do, sir?" The earnings season for the 4th quarter is almost 80% complete, and the facts are dismal. It is worse than the current data shows, and could get uglier. Unemployment is increasing, and consumers are both saving more and spending less as incomes are not keeping pace with what little inflation there is. All in all, a very different set of facts than a few quarters ago. This week we examine some of the new facts, and start out by analyzing how Thoughts from the Frontline has done over the past two years with some of the more important predictions. It should make for an interesting letter.
Read full article... Read full article...
Thursday, February 05, 2009
Open Letter to Dr. Joseph Stiglitz and Challenge to Debate / Economics / Economic Stimulus
Note: Dr. Joseph Stiglitz is a professor at Columbia University, former chairman of President Clinton’s Council of Economic Advisors, former chief economist for the World Bank, and a recipient of the Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences.Read full article... Read full article...
Monday, February 02, 2009
Real Cures for Our Economic Disease / Economics / Economic Stimulus
I have recently had several opportunities on various news programs to discuss the economy and what is wrong with the so-called economic stimulus package. I have said over and over what we shouldn't be doing, and now I'd like to explain what we should be doing.Read full article... Read full article...
Monday, February 02, 2009
Washington Replacing Wall Street as the City that Drives America? / Economics / Economic Stimulus
William Patalon III writes: Washington replacing New York – and more specifically, Wall Street – as the city that drives America?
The question, raised in a new Reuters piece , is certainly a good one – and a fair one. As the United States suffers through perhaps its worst financial crisis ever – a crisis caused by the combination of rampant greed and some ill-conceived financial engineering – Wall Street's reputation has been badly tarnished, perhaps forever.
Read full article... Read full article...
Monday, February 02, 2009
Obama's Ignorance of Economic History Could Wreck U.S. Economy / Economics / Economic Stimulus
In a recent talk he gave at the London School of Economics Bernanke basically laid out the thinking behind his monetary strategy with the statement: "Put out the fire first and then think about the fire code." This is code for flood the US economy with dollars and then worry about the inflationary consequences for the country. No wonder he saw nothing wrong with letting the monetary base explode by 107 per cent (from just under one trillion dollars to nearly three trillion dollars) from 8 August last year to 9 January.Read full article... Read full article...
Sunday, February 01, 2009
The Paradox of Savings and Spending Competing with Socialism 2009 / Economics / Economic Stimulus
“Words from the Wise” this week comes to you in a shortened format as pressure from my “day job” precludes me from doing my customary commentary. However, a full dose of excerpts from interesting news items and quotes from market commentators is provided. (For more discussion about economies and financial markets, also see my post “ Video-o-rama: Global economy - banked into submission “.)Read full article... Read full article...
Wednesday, January 21, 2009
Obama's $825 Billion Stimulus Against $20 Trillion Asset Price Deflation / Economics / Economic Stimulus
Smaller Stimulus Leaves Room for Restructuring - As all recovery hopes are now pinned on the efficacy of Washington's next stimulus package, President Obama has opened the bidding at $825 billion. Most Republicans see this number as too big, and many Democrats see it as too small. If the question is one purely of impact, then under these circumstances, the Democrats are probably correct.Read full article... Read full article...
Monday, January 19, 2009
What's Missing from Obama's Economic Recovery Plan / Politics / Economic Stimulus
Barack Obama and Co. are planning to launch their own version of economic "shock and awe" in the opening weeks of the new administration. Aside from the $825 billion stimulus package, which will be used to create 3 million new jobs and make up for flagging consumer demand; Obama is planning a financial rescue operation for banks that are buried under hundreds of billions of dollars of troubled assets. Spearheaded by Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner and White House economics chief Lawrence Summers, the new program will create a government-backed "aggregator" bank that will purchase mortgage-backed securities (MBS) and other problem assets for which there is currently no active market. The proposed "bad bank" will do what the TARP program was supposed to do; wipe clean the banks balance sheets so they resume lending to consumers and businesses. Until the credit mechanism is fixed, the economy will continue slip deeper and deeper into recession.Read full article... Read full article...
Saturday, January 17, 2009
Stimulus, Schmimulus- Fiscal Lifejacket or Money Down a Rathole? / Economics / Economic Stimulus
There's no guarantee that Obama's stimulus package will work, but there is growing consensus that something has to be done...and fast! The economy is contracting faster than anytime since the 1930s. Unemployment is soaring, consumer spending is plummeting, and the country appears to slipping towards another Great Depression. The Federal Reserve's near-zero interest rates and massive liquidity injections haven't helped at all. That's why the focus has shifted from monetary policy to Keynesian fiscal stimulus. When businesses and consumers cut back on spending, the government has to make up for the loss in aggregate demand. That's what Obama's $775 American Recovery and Reinvestment Act is really all about. It won't fix the economy; it's just a way to minimize the shock of a hard landing.Read full article... Read full article...
Monday, January 05, 2009
A Whole Lot of Quantité Going On / Politics / Economic Stimulus
- WHAT on earth...?
- Sorry, if you could just keep turned to the wall...
Read full article... Read full article...
Sunday, December 28, 2008
Obama's Spending Spree Won't Rescue the US Economy from Recession / Economics / Economic Stimulus
In the past I have referred to Obama as an intellectual sponge, one of those people -- of whom there are a great many -- who soak up the ideas that are fed to them. Having absorbed them they then unknowingly find himself unable to learn not only from their own mistakes but also the mistakes of others. This is more than plain enough in Obama's adoration of FDR and his determination to follow in his dismal economic footsteps.Read full article... Read full article...