News
USA Today | Wal-Mart CEO Bill Simon expects inflation
U.S. consumers face "serious" inflation in the months ahead for clothing, food and other products, the head of Wal-Mart's U.S. operations warned Wednesday.
Bloomberg | Fed Releases Discount-Window Loan Records Under Order
The Federal Reserve released thousands of pages of secret loan documents under court order, almost three years after Bloomberg LP first requested details of the central bank’s unprecedented support to banks during the financial crisis.
CNN: Money | Inflation pressures grow on Main Street
Still reeling from the recession, most mom-and-pop shops have held off on raising prices for fear of losing more customers. But business is finally starting to pick up, and after years of being squeezed by cost increases, a growing number of small businesses are hiking their prices.
Fox Business | Secrets Revealed: Fed Unveils Bank Loans Made During the Crisis
A massive cache of documents released by the Federal Reserve Thursday to FOX Business Network reveals that European banks were just as desperate for cash as their counterparts in the U.S. as the credit crisis exploded in late 2008.
Econ Comments
AEI | Portugal Will Follow Greece and Ireland to Failure
One has to wonder how much deeper the economic recessions in Greece, Ireland, and Portugal will have to become for the IMF and the EU to recognize that the countries in the periphery suffer from solvency rather than liquidity problems, that are not amenable to correction by fiscal retrenchment alone in a fixed exchange rate system.
CNN: Money | Geithner softens stance on yuan slightly
Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner once again criticized China for keeping its currency artificially low. But he also extended an olive branch that could allow China's yuan to become even more influential in global trade.
Blogs
WSJ: Real Time Economics | Which Fed Official Moves Markets Most?
Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke was once again the biggest market-mover in 2010, and the quarterly press conferences he begins next month are set to solidify his dominance, Macroeconomic Advisers said in their annual ranking.
WSJ: Real Time Economics | Fed’s Hoenig: Policy Providing Tinder for Asset Bubbles
“If current policy remains in place, we almost certainly will stimulate the growth of asset values and inflation,” Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City President Thomas Hoenig said.
Reports
Wells Fargo Securities | Does China Have an Inflation Problem?
Inflation has risen this year in China. Not only have food prices shot up sharply, but non-food price inflation has also increased this year. Chinese authorities have tightened macroeconomic policies, and some analysts worry that overly aggressive tightening could lead to a sharp slowdown in the Chinese economy that could have global ramifications. Should we be worried about the inflation outlook in China?
