In an interview with CNBC’s Maria Bartiromo yesterday, Richmond Fed president Jeffrey Lacker refused to offer any clear sign as to when the central bank might finally end its zero-bound policy and begin raising rates. When asked whether he was worried about future inflation, Lacker said he think ... Read more

That's right! Politics trumps tax and economic policy yet again! Obama put pen to paper this morning and signed the Worker, Homeownership, and Business Assistance Bill of 2009 into law. Don't get me wrong, I'm happy for folks who can use this to buy a house. ... Read the full pos ... Read more

From the Washington Examiner , 10/23 : "Measuring the effectiveness of TARP's programs has been an ongoing challenge," the GAO report said, adding that "any changes attributed to TARP could well be changes that would have occurred anyway" -- due to policy intervention ... Read more

Japan has gone through two lost decades, in and out of deflation, with nothing to show for it but increasing debt to GDP and a stock market still 70% below its peak. Now, Richard Koo of Nomura Research Institute Ltd. says U.S. Risks Japan-Like ‘Lost Decade’ on Stimulus Exit .U.S. officials c ... Read more

The government has embarked on a full-scale assault on the American public, aimed not only at ravaging the poor for a few special interests, but vastly increasing the number of people consigned to poverty. ... Read the full post ... Read more

UPDATE: Here is the transcript of Bernanke's speech. Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke will speak at Noon ET on "The Financial Crisis and Community Banking", at the Independent Community Bankers of America’s convention in Phoenix, AZ. I expect CNBC to cover this ... Here is the CN ... Read more

| Peter Klein | My friend Tom Woods has written a new book, Meltdown , that explains the economic crisis from an “Austrian” perspective. Tom is a historian by training but has an excellent grasp of economic theory and policy (disclaimer: I consulted on the book). The book is ... Read the f ... Read more

Nearly everyone is hopping on the Keynesian bandwagon as the urge to try something, anything, to halt this economic slide is simply overpowering. Please consider Fed’s Yellen Supports ‘Substantial’ Economic Stimulus . The U.S. economy faces a “serious risk” of stagnating for an extend ... Read more