Because if the Fed Knows How to Do One Thing, It’s How to Have Meetings
by ilene - July 8th, 2010 11:54 pm
Because if the Fed Knows How to Do One Thing, It’s How to Have Meetings
Courtesy of Jr. Deputy Accountant
The Federal Reserve will hold a conference next week on financing for small businesses.
The Fed on Wednesday announced the conference, which will be held Monday. Chairman Ben Bernanke is scheduled to make opening remarks.
The Fed is sponsoring the event to discuss strategies to improve access to credit for small businesses.
Hopefully Zimbabwe Ben‘s opening remarks go something like "Hey, small business, if you would like a piece of this, back your truck up to the back door" since he’s giving it away for free. Devaluation is his only way out I hear and what better way to do that than by handing it out? Sorry, having a meeting about handing it out and then handing it out.
Please. We all know what happens at these so-called meetings. Sometimes Federal Reserve events are, sadly but not surprisingly, behind the curve. This one should be called the Free Money Symposium and Bernanke can discuss modern money mechanics (I print it, you spend it) and how small business owners can get a piece. Maybe they should be allowed to borrow easy money directly from the Fed at .00000000000001%, that would easily accomplish Bernanke’s other job of keeping unemployment low. Win for everyone surely.
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Is Pent-Up Inflation From Fed Printing Waiting On Deck?
by ilene - September 21st, 2009 1:17 pm
Is Pent-Up Inflation From Fed Printing Waiting On Deck?
Courtesy of Mish
Inquiring minds are wondering about the possibility of "pent-up" inflation from the massive expansion money supply by the Fed. Our search for the truth starts with the question "Which Comes First: The Printing or The Lending?"
This is a critical question given the massive expansion of base money by the Fed as shown in the following chart.
Base Money Supply
Since the beginning of the recession, the Fed has expanded base money supply from $800 billion to $1.7 trillion. Conventional wisdom suggests this money is going to come soaring into the economy at any second causing hyperinflation on the notion banks will lend out 10 times the amount of reserves.
So is this pent-up inflation just waiting to break out?
Hardly.
A funny thing happened to the inflation theory: Banks aren’t lending and proof can be found in excess reserves at member banks.
Excess Reserves
Banks are Insolvent, Consumers Tapped Out
Because of rising credit card defaults, commercial real estate defaults, foreclosures, walk-aways, and other bad debts, banks need those reserves to cover future losses.
In practice, banks are insolvent, unable or unwilling to lend. Moreover, tapped out consumers are unable or unwilling to borrow. As a result, Spending Collapses In All Generation Groups.
Bernanke can flood the world with "reserves" and indeed he has. However, he cannot force banks to lend or consumers to borrow.
Yet every day someone comes up with another convoluted theory about how inflationary this all is. It is certainly "distortionary" in that it creates problems down the road and prolongs a real recovery by keeping zombie banks alive (as happened in Japan). However, it is not (in aggregate) going to cause massive inflation because it is not spurring the creation of new debt.
Consumers and banks both are suffering from a massive hangover. Their willingness and ability to drink is gone. No matter how many pints of whiskey Bernanke sets in front of someone passed out on the floor, liquor sales will not rise.
In a debt-based economy, it is extremely difficult to produce inflation if consumers will not participate. And as noted above, demographics and attitudes strongly suggest consumers have had enough of debt and spending sprees.
Those pointing to flawed measures of money supply as proof of inflation just don’t get it,
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Philip R. Davis is a founder Phil's Stock World, a stock and options trading site that teaches the art of options trading to newcomers and devises advanced strategies for expert traders...
Ilene is editor and affiliate program
coordinator for PSW. She manages the site