News
Bloomberg | Wholesale Prices in U.S. Rise at Slower Pace as Fuel Drops
Wholesale prices in the U.S. rose at a slower pace in July as fuel costs dropped by the most in eight months.
The Fiscal Times | Farmers and Consumers Seeing Spike in Food Prices
It seems consumers and farmers both have a lot to complain about this year.
Econ Comments & Analysis
Heritage Foundation | Quantitative Easing, The Fed’s Balance Sheet, and Central Bank Insolvency
More than five years after the 2008 financial crisis, the Federal Reserve’s role is still the subject of much debate. One source of controversy has been the extent to which the Fed allocated credit directly to possibly insolvent institutions. Critics argue that the Fed should have allowed insolvent firms to restructure through bankruptcy and should have provided credit only to sound banks on a short-term basis.
Real Clear Markets | More Evidence That the Federal Reserve Is Superfluous
While the Federal Reserve is most notable for its role in monetary policy, the autonomous Fed plays an active role in regulating banking institutions. When not beefing up its balance sheet through quantitative easing, the Fed is quietly seeking to expand its scope of operations, especially in the area of electronic payments networks.
New York Times | Why a Rule on Loan Losses Could Squeeze Credit
No bank loses money on every loan, at least not if it is going to stay in business.
Blogs
Wall Street Journal | Bullard: Fed Getting Close to Policy Goals
Falling unemployment and rising inflation are bringing the Federal Reserve closer to its goals more rapidly than policy makers had foreseen, and may justify raising interest rates as early as the end of the first quarter of 2015, St. Louis Fed President James Bullard said Thursday.
