All in Economics

Tweeting "Fire"

Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and social media company XYZ own the platforms that Trump communicates from and these firms have every right to accept and reject users as they see fit. Even in the case of the person who yells “fire” in a crowded theatre, that person “has no right to do so because he is aggressing against the contractual property rights of the theater owner and of the patrons of the performance,” Rothbard wrote.

The Upside of Lockdowns

Rosenberg’s first line sounds like John Maynard Keynes’s “Paradox of Thrift” theory which claims that personal savings are a net drag on the economy during a recession. The second line sounds more like Ludwig von Mises, who wrote, “Capital is not a free gift of God or of nature. It is the outcome of a provident restriction of consumption on the part of man. It is created and increased by saving and maintained by the abstention from dissaving.”

Low Rates, Limited Liability, Hot Markets

Referring to Dizard’s FT piece in a series of tweets just after Christmas, Bank analyst Chris Whalen said, “"With 30-year conventional mortgage rates closing in on 2.5% APR and the FOMC buying 1.5% MBS coupons as part of quantitative easing, this is a good time to take cash off the table in IMBs and REITs, and go buy a well-located residential home."

Negative Rates Path to Natural Poverty

ADG consulted interest rate historians Sidney Homer and Richard Sylla who opined “nominal negative yielding debt had never been seen in material size in the 4,000 years of interest rate history prior to the current cycle.” Economist Ludwig von Mises never imagined such a thing,

Rich Millennials Plot the End of Civilization

“He wants to put his inheritance toward ending capitalism,” Zoë Beery wrote for the NYT, “and by that he means using his money to undo systems that accumulate money for those at the top, and that have played a large role in widening economic and racial inequality.” Wow, that is some self-loathing. If only Ludwig von Mises were able to counsel young Jacobs, whose grandfather founded Qualcomm, and is set to inherit $100 million. In his book Epistemological Problems of Economics, Mises wrote, “Through all the changes in the prevailing system of social stratification, moral philosophers continued to hold fast to the fundamental idea of Cicero’s doctrine that making money is degrading.”

Central Banks Put Wind at Bitcoin's Back

In investmentland, it’s “Bitcoin, Bitcoin, Bitcoin,” again knocking on dollar door number 20,000, where it ventured in late 2017. Bloomberg’s November 21st edition features this flashy headline sure to inspire FOMO (fear of missing out) the predecessor of the more quaint Keynesian Animal Spirits

Judy, Judy, Judy

Trump’s lady in waiting for the Federal Reserve, Judy Shelton, is losing Republican support by the day. The Washington Post unleashed its comeliest columnist, Catherine Rampell, to finish off Ms. Shelton, who’s primary negative is her past support for the gold standard, and her questioning the need for the central bank at all.Adherents of the Austrian School of Economics have been cuckoo for Shelton for those very reasons, but, Ms. Rampell describes the Fed nominee as “a demonstrably unqualified partisan quack.”

Enterprising, Economics Savvy, BYU-Idaho Students Try to Collect Valuable Plasma

This may be overblown. BYU-Idaho administrators might be clairvoyant and issuing warnings just to head off any bright ideas students might have to raise a little money. WRCBtv reports, “Mimi Taylor, spokeswoman for Eastern Idaho Public Health, told CNN that she believed the school put out the statement as a preemptive measure intended to keep students from getting any ideas.”

Fed and Treasury Sorcery Make Home Price Magic

Tom Blanchard, realtor and president of trade association Las Vegas Realtors, describes the Las Vegas housing market as being “on fire.” Mr. Segall reports, “All told, the market has gained speed as buyers snap up homes from builders and on the resale market, with sellers fetching multiple bids.” Blanchard says simply, “It’s craziness.”

The CARES Act Kicks the Can

What has cloaked the recession is government largesse in the form of the added $600 to weekly unemployment claims. While the juice from that lemon ran dry August 1st, it will be replaced by a $300 or $400 weekly bump once Treasury Secretary Mnunchin gets around to cutting the checks.