Bank Examiners Are Stifling Commercial Credit
My commentary on this topic was published in the Oregonian under the headline, "Small-business loans: When regulators go overboard, credit is choked off."
Federal Debt & Fiscal Crisis: The CBO View
In a recent series of posts I commented on implication of the federal debt with respect to inflation, a debt crisis, and higher taxes. Now the Congressional Budget Office has weighed in with an analysis …
Pension Crisis: Institutional Investor Quotes Your Favorite Economist
Institutional Investor has an excellent article about the pension crisis, made all the more excellent by usage of an article I wrote for the National Center for Policy Analysis. I commented on how ERISA (the …
Three Questions about Financial Reform
Who are the Evil Bankers? Make the banks pay! Regulate the banks! Don’t let the banks mess up again! Common sentiments miss a critical question: which banks are you talking about? Consider the large Wall …
The Economic Forecast and Policy Uncertainty
When I list the economy's strengths and weaknesses, I mention policy uncertainty. Here's a good explanation, courtesy of Larry Summers, director of the President's National Economic Council. I first met Ben Bernanke in the late …
Our Health Care Mess: David Goldhill Understands the Economics
I'm trying to avoid the health care issue, but it's getting harder and harder. Just getting good, clear information and insights is tough. But the Atlantic (I think they've dropped the Monthly from their name) …
New Financial Regulations: Trying to Fix Self-Correcting Problems
In the midst of the banking crisis, the Obama administration is considering sweeping financial regulations. But before fixing problems with a sledgehammer, let’s assess which of these problems have fixed themselves. It turns out that …
Economic Subsidies for Economic Development: Not a Good Deal
Oregon Business Magazine quoted me in its article about two subsidies, one that clearly failed and one that, they say, worked. If you think these things ever work, here are the facts cited in the …
General Motors and Private Investment: Don’t Partner with the Federal Government
The General Motors debt for equity deal reveals a genuine danger to private investors. If you are considering investing in some other turnaround, be very careful if Uncle Sam might get involved. An editorial in …
Surviving Bad Economic Policy: Why I Am Not Gloomy
My commentary for Cascade Policy Institute was published by the Statesman-Journal newspaper.
Credit Crunch: Latest Data Leads to Doubt
We all know there's a credit crunch, right? That's the basis for the latest (March 2009) Treasury bailout proposal. So I went looking for the evidence, just to prove to you skeptics that there really …
The New Treasury Program (March 2009 edition)
We have another new Treasury program. The mechanics are best understood through the examples offered by the treasury (full details here), which describe a loan program and a securities program: Sample Investment Under the Legacy …