Sunday, March 22, 2009

The Big T

How to prevent inflation when the Fed prints a trillion dollars.

  • NPR reports that "...in the U.K., the ... latest attempt to goose the economy ... calls for the Bank of England to create 75 billion pounds" in new money. And NPR quotes the BBC: "These actions are unprecedented in the Bank's 315-year history but are now considered necessary...." [From NPR's "Planet Money" blog, 11 March 2009]
  • Under the headline "Fed Prints a Trillion," on 20 March 2009 Chris Martenson reported: "In a shocking development that I frankly hoped we'd never actually see, the Federal Reserve dropped a bombshell yesterday and announced that it is going to create an extra $1 trillion dollars out of thin air...."
  • The Seattle Times reports that the Fed's trillion-dollar decision was unanimous. [Seattle Times, 20 March 2009]

Well, it's happening. And the Internet response to these printing press releases is largely what you'd expect: Inflation, inflation, inflation. I have a different take.