Here’s a good interview with Chicago’s John Cochrane, who offers incisive contrarian views on money, inflation, “stimulus,” Greece, the euro, economic growth, and Milton Friedman’s “Inflation is always and everywhere a monetary phenomenon” meme. I wrote about these topics here.
Quote of the Day
“I do not think it is an exaggeration to say history is largely a history of inflation, usually inflations engineered by governments for the gain of governments.”
— F.A. von Hayek
To Hayek’s observation, I would only add the corresponding phenomenon of “deflation.” Both inflation and deflation can be grouped into a singular category. Robert Mundell once called both inflation and deflation a decline in the monetary standard.
As I Was Just Saying…
On the eve of the G20 global financial summit, Judy Shelton weighs in with yet another brilliant exposition on stable money:
At the bottom of the world financial crisis is international monetary disorder. Ever since the post-World War II Bretton Woods system — anchored by a gold-convertible dollar — ended in August 1971, the cause of free trade has been compromised by sovereign monetary-policy indulgence.
Today, a soupy mix of currencies sloshes investment capital around the world, channeling it into stagnant pools while productive endeavor is left high and dry. Entrepreneurs in countries with overvalued currencies are unable to attract the foreign investment that should logically flow in their direction, while scam artists in countries with undervalued currencies lure global financial resources into brackish puddles.
