The Economist – A creeping ascent THE world economy continued to recover from the financial crisis in 2013, albeit wanly. Stockmarkets around the world rallied (chart 1). Moreover, even this lacklustre performance is underpinned by central banks’ extremely loose monetary policy. The Federal Reserve and the Bank of Japan have continued to print money on… Continue reading The World Economy & QE
<Click on chart for larger image> Real Time Economics (WSJ Blog) – Most Labor-Force Dropouts Will Return, New Paper Argues Americans who’ve left the labor force over the course of the Great Recession will almost certainly return to work as the job market continues to improve, according to a new paper released by the International… Continue reading The Participation Rate
The Washington Post – This is how history should judge Ben Bernanke All of which is a long way of saying: Assessing Ben Bernanke requires a healthy level of intellectual modesty, because his legacy will depend on things we can’t yet know. So far, the evidence points to the Fed’s post-crisis role as having been… Continue reading Bernanke’s Legacy
The Wall Street Journal – EU Finance Ministers Agree on Bank Resolution System European Union finance ministers agreed late Wednesday on a new system to centralize control of failing euro-zone lenders, in the hope that it will stop expensive banking crises from ruining the finances of entire countries. The deal brings to an end a… Continue reading The EU’s Banking Resolution
Bloomberg.com – Caroline Baum: Lower Your Economic Expectations and Be Surprised After green shoots, false dawns and any other overused metaphor you can think of to describe spring’s awakening (sorry) for the U.S. economy, is this the real deal? The green shoots from years past have turned brown. The dawns are late and the dusks… Continue reading Judging The Economic Recovery
None Today
Conference Call Presentation/Charts of the Week Audio [audio:https://www.biancoresearch.com/bianco/SubscriberArea/121913.mp3|titles=Conference Call ] Topics Covered This Week Include: It Begins, The Fed Tapers Worry About Financial Stability Tapering Starts When The Economy Gets Better, Period! US Economic Outlook The Federal Reserve’s (Poor) Forecasts Timing The Taper The Purpose of QE Is To Raise Stock Prices The Fed And… Continue reading Conference Call Presentation/Charts of the Week
Comment On December 19, 2013 at 9 AM CT (10:00 AM ET, 7:00 AM PT, and 14:00 GMT), Bianco Research, in conjunction with Arbor Research & Trading, will be hosting a webcast/teleconference moderated by Jim Bianco. Those who believe the Federal Reserve should start tapering at today’s FOMC meeting are largely arguing bond buying does… Continue reading Financial Stability vs. Data Dependency: Which Matters More When Timing The Taper?
The Wall Street Journal – What to Watch for From the Fed Meeting Will they taper? The employment and growth data have improved since the last Fed meeting in October, and Congress has reached a two-year budget deal. This sets the stage for Fed officials to contemplate making the first reduction to their $85 billion-per-month… Continue reading All Eyes On The Federal Reserve
Comment Jim Bianco and Charles Biderman discussed the how the government collects economic data in part 3 (of 3 parts) above. To view the interview click on the image above. To view any of our recent interviews click here. To view part 1 or part 2, click here, or click here.
<Click on chart for larger image> Real Time Economics – A Look Inside the Fed’s Balance Sheet As the Federal Reserve debates whether to keep buying $85 billion of bonds a month, the assets on its balance sheet are on the cusp of surpassing $4 trillion for the first time. Assets on the Fed’s balance… Continue reading The Federal Reserve’s Balance Sheet
Real Time Economics – Across Asia, Bracing for the Fed ‘Taper’ Policy makers around Asia are closely watching the Federal Reserve’s meeting tonight to see if the U.S. central bank decides to begin winding down its massive bond-buying program. Even if the U.S. central bank does “taper,” the impact on Asia likely won’t be as… Continue reading The World Waits On The Fed Decision