Economist Richard Alford (2); fed economist Richard Alford argues Fed misread inflation (1); Federal Reserve economist Richard Alford opines Fed independence (1).
naked capitalism Tue 2009-10-27 11:13 EDT
What was achieved at the G20 meeting in Pittsburgh to help restore global economic balance? The short answer: nothing of any substance as reflected in the conspicuous absent of any mention of two subjects, i.e. currency adjustments and protectionism.
Bernanke Versions; G20; Global Rebalancing; Guest Post; naked capitalism.
The Big Picture Fri 2009-10-23 09:03 EDT
Against a backdrop of continued financial fragility and extraordinary policy actions, policymakers are discussing re-balancing global growth, restoring financial stability, and the future of the Dollar as the world's reserve currency. In 2005, Edwin Truman proposed a list of policy measures that if followed would have reduced the US external imbalance and placed the reserve status of the Dollar on better footing. Truman's proposal differed from the standard litany of US fiscal discipline, Dollar adjustment, and increased demand in surplus countries. It called upon the Federal Reserve to slow the growth in US demand. More recent research, by Shin and Adrian, suggests that if the Fed had heeded Truman's prescription, then monetary policy would have also mitigated the recent turmoil in financial markets...
naked capitalism Sun 2009-09-20 09:48 EDT
...the current Fed: 1) actively promoted the asset bubbles which precipitated the most costly business downturn since the Great depression; 2) passively sat by ignoring its regulatory and supervisory responsibilities allowing the growth of imbalances that led to the worst business downturn since the Great depression...the economic and financial imbalances that built up between 2000 and 2007 will generate the opportunity costs in terms of lost output and idle and misallocated resources that will exceed the costs inherent in the economic and financial imbalances reflected in the most expensive anti-inflation fight ever fought by the Fed (1980-1983). The US financial system remains on life support. Furthermore, the Fed has played a part in allocating credit and in engineering redistributions of wealth on a scale that is likely to on the same scale as the redistribution of wealth from the household sector to government during the inflation ridden 1970s. The independence of the Fed has been compromised. Many in the Congress want to audit the Fed and limit its ability to make loans in future emergencies. The Fed is seen by many as an agency of the Treasury.
assessment; Fed; Guest Post; naked capitalism; recent perform.
Wed 2008-06-18 00:00 EDT
Former Federal Reserve economist Richard Alford opines Fed independence has been compromised; positions on the Board of Governors are to be treated as patronage jobs doled out to party loyalists
Fed Compromised; Independent; naked capitalism; Otherwise Messed.
Wed 2008-05-28 00:00 EDT
Fed Risk: Interview with Dick Alford; Institutional Risk Analytics; former fed economist Richard Alford argues Fed misread inflation for deflation, Fed fighting the wrong battles; "US population is not ready to hear that their real levels of income, assets prices and other indicia of national well being may be falling or relatively stagnant for the foreseeable future."
Fed Risks; Institutional Risk Analyst; interview; Richard Alford.
