144 – Peter Stella on Debt, Safe Assets, and Central Bank Operations

Diego Zuluaga is a policy analyst at the Cato Institute’s Center for Monetary and Financial Alternatives where he covers financial technology and consumer credit, and before joining Cato, Diego was head of financial services and tech policy at the Institute of Economic Affairs in London. He joins the show today to talk about his work within this policy area. David and Diego also discuss the future of cryptocurrencies, the fragmented nature of the US banking system, and the growing importance of fintech in our daily lives.   Transcript for the episode: https://www.mercatus.org/bridge/podcasts/10282019/diego-zuluaga-libra-real-time-payments-and-legacy-community-reinvestment   Diego’s Twitter: @DiegoZuluagaL Diego’s Cato Institute profile: https://www.cato.org/people/diego-zuluaga   Related Links:   *New York’s Bank: The National Monetary Commission and the Founding of the Fed* by George Selgin https://www.cato.org/publications/policy-analysis/new-yorks-bank-national-monetary-commission-founding-fed   *Fintech, Regulatory Arbitrage, and the Rise of Shadow Banks* by Greg Buchak, Gregor Matvos, Tomasz Piskorski, and Amit Seru https://www.nber.org/papers/w23288   *Of Libras and Zebras, Part One: What Are the True Financial Risks of the Facebook-Led Digital Currency? (Systemic Risk)* by Diego Zuluaga https://www.alt-m.org/2019/07/11/of-libras-and-zebras-part-one/   *Of Libras and Zebras, Part Two: What Are the True Financial Risks of the Facebook-Led Digital Currency? (Monopoly Risk)* by Diego Zuluaga https://www.alt-m.org/2019/07/16/of-libras-and-zebras-part-two/   *Of Libras and Zebras: What Are the True Financial Risks of the Facebook-Led Digital Curency? (Part III: National Security Risk)* by Diego Zuluaga https://www.cato.org/blog/libras-zebras-what-are-true-financial-risks-facebook-led-digital-currency-part-iii-national   *The Community Reinvestment Act in the Age of Fintech and Bank Competition* by Diego Zuluaga https://www.cato.org/publications/policy-analysis/community-reinvestment-act-age-fintech-bank-competition   David’s blog: macromarketmusings.blogspot.com David’s Twitter: @DavidBeckworth

28 Okt 201959min

Frances Coppola is a former banker, financial writer, and an author of a recent book titled, *The Case for People’s Quantitative Easing*, and she joins the show today to talk about it.  David and Frances also discuss the overall potential effectiveness of helicopter drops, how they would be deployed during future recessions, and the criticisms and concerns that have been levied against them.   Transcript for the episode: https://www.mercatus.org/bridge/podcasts/10212019/frances-coppola-macroeconomics-helicopter-drops   Frances’s Twitter: @Frances_Coppola Frances’s website: http://www.coppolacomment.com/   Related Links:   *The Case for People’s Quantitative Easing* by Frances Coppola https://www.wiley.com/en-me/The+Case+For+People's+Quantitative+Easing-p-9781509531301   David’s blog: macromarketmusings.blogspot.com David’s Twitter: @DavidBeckworth

21 Okt 20191h 1min

In this special episode of Macro Musings, the roles are reversed, and David Beckworth joins guest host Cardiff Garcia, host of NPR’s “The Indicator from Planet Money”, to talk about his newest paper, *Facts, Fears, and Functionality of NGDP Level Targeting: A Guide to a Popular Framework for Monetary Policy*. David and Cardiff conduct a deep dive into the plumbing of this potential monetary regime, as they discuss some of the most the important questions surrounding it. Some of these questions include: what is nominal GDP level targeting, and how does it differ from the Fed's current inflation targeting framework? How does NGDP targeting deal with economic downturns and in a more effective manner than inflation targeting? How can this framework be properly communicated and explained to the public? David answers these questions and addresses further concerns and criticisms of NGDP targeting in this unique installment of Macro Musings.   Transcript for the episode: https://www.mercatus.org/bridge/podcasts/10182019/david-beckworth-facts-fears-and-functionality-ngdp-level-targeting   David’s Twitter: @DavidBeckworth David’s blog: http://macromarketmusings.blogspot.com/ David’s Mercatus profile: https://www.mercatus.org/scholars/david-beckworth   Cardiff’s Twitter: @CardiffGarcia Cardiff’s NPR profile: https://www.npr.org/people/567164716/cardiff-garcia   Related Links:   *Facts, Fears, and Functionality of Nominal GDP Level Targeting: A Guide to a Popular Framework for Monetary Policy* by David Beckworth https://www.mercatus.org/publications/monetary-policy/facts-fears-and-functionality-ngdp-level-targeting   *The Financial Stability Case for a Nominal GDP Target* by David Beckworth https://www.cato.org/cato-journal/springsummer-2019/financial-stability-case-nominal-gdp-target

16 Okt 20191h

Srinivas Thiruvadanthai is a managing director and the director of research at the Jerome Levy Forecasting Center. Sri joins the show today to talk about the sectoral financial balance approach to macroeconomics as well as the safe asset supply challenge. David and Sri also discuss the fallacy of composition in macroeconomics, post-Keynesianism and how it differs from mainstream economic thought, and potential solutions to help ease the cost of being the banker to the world.   Transcript for the episode: https://www.mercatus.org/bridge/podcasts/10172019/srinivas-thiruvadanthai-sectoral-financial-balance-approach-macroeconomics   Sri’s Twitter: @teasri Sri’s JLFC profile: https://www.levyforecast.com/about-us/srinivas-thiruvadanthai/   Related Links:   *Monetary Economics: An Integrated Approach to Credit, Money, Income, Production and Wealth* by Wynne Godley and Marc Lavoie http://dl4a.org/uploads/pdf/Monetary+Economics+-+Lavoie+Godley.pdf   David’s blog: macromarketmusings.blogspot.com David’s Twitter: @DavidBeckworth

14 Okt 201957min

Bill Nelson is a chief economist at the Bank Policy Institute and was previously a deputy director of the Division of Monetary Affairs at the Federal Reserve Board, where his responsibilities included monetary policy analysis, discount window policy analysis, and financial institution supervision. Bill has written widely on the Fed’s operating system, and he joins the show today to talk about it, as well as the recent turmoil in money markets. David and Bill also discuss the possibility of the Fed moving back to a corridor system, the stigma surrounding banks using the discount window, and the story of recent supply and demand dislocation in repo markets.   Transcript for the episode: https://www.mercatus.org/bridge/podcasts/10072019/bill-nelson-repo-market-stress-feds-operating-system-and-prospects-standing   Related Links:   Link to supply and demand curves mentioned in the episode: http://macromarketmusings.blogspot.com/2019/09/the-repo-man-cometh.html   *Two Little-Noticed and Self-Inflicted Causes of the Fed’s Current Monetary Policy Implementation Predicament* by Bill Nelson https://bpi.com/two-little-noticed-and-self-inflicted-causes-of-the-feds-current-monetary-policy-implementation-predicament/   *Fed at a Crossroads* by Bill Nelson https://bpi.com/fed-at-a-crossroad/   *Bank Regulations and Turmoil in Repo Markets* by Francisco Covas & Bill Nelson https://bpi.com/bank-regulations-and-turmoil-in-repo-markets/   *What Just Happened in Money Markets, and Why it Matters* by Bill Nelson https://bpi.com/what-just-happened-in-money-markets-and-why-it-matters/   *Impending Money Market Volatility Prompts Warning Light for LCR Tune-Up* by Bill Nelson & Brett Waxman https://bpi.com/impending-money-market-volatility-prompts-warning-light-for-lcr-tune-up/   *Design Challenges for a Standing Repo Facility* by Bill Nelson https://bpi.com/design-challenges-for-a-standing-repo-facility/   *A Former Fed Insider Explains the Internal Debate over QE3* by Bill Nelson https://ftalphaville.ft.com/2018/02/16/2198845/guest-post-a-former-fed-insider-explains-the-internal-debate-over-qe3/   *Get Up Off The Floor* By Bill Nelson https://www.hoover.org/sites/default/files/research/docs/cochranepalermotaylor_currencies_ch9.pdf   *FOMC Go Home* by Bill Nelson https://bpi.com/fomc-go-home/   *Understanding the Fed’s Implementation Framework Debate* by Bill Nelson https://bpi.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/Understanding_the_Fed’s_implementation_framework_debate_Review05.pdf   David’s blog: macromarketmusings.blogspot.com David’s Twitter: @DavidBeckworth

7 Okt 201958min

Jim Dorn is the Vice President for Monetary Studies at the Cato Institute and is the director of Cato’s annual Monetary Policy Conference. Jim has written widely on Federal Reserve policy and monetary reform, and has also edited more than 10 books including *The Search for Stable Money* and *The Future of Money in the Information Age*.  He joins the show today to talk about the history of monetary policy in Washington D.C. over the past four decades as well as some of his own recent work. David and Jim also discuss the issues covered at the most recent Cato Institute monetary policy conference, the recent mystery of low inflation, and Jim’s idea of an optimal monetary policy regime.   Transcript for the episode: https://www.mercatus.org/bridge/podcasts/10022019/jim-dorn-history-monetary-policy-washington-dc-and-its-future   Jim’s Cato Institute profile: https://www.cato.org/people/james-dorn   Related Links:   Registration for the Cato Institute Monetary Policy Conference: https://www.cato.org/events/37th-annual-monetary-conference   *The Search for Stable Money: Essays on Monetary Reform* edited by James Dorn and Anna Schwartz https://www.amazon.com/Search-Stable-Money-Essays-Monetary/dp/0226158292   *The Future of Money in the Information Age* edited by James Dorn https://www.amazon.com/Future-Money-Information-Age/dp/1882577523   *the Political Economy of Inflation* by Fritz Machlup https://www.cato.org/sites/cato.org/files/serials/files/cato-journal/1983/5/cj3n1-3.pdf   *Has Monetarism Failed?* by Karl Brunner https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/803d/c8632bec26142f4c6b54f9e692c6acf2fe72.pdf   *Should the Fed Be Constrained?* by Jeffrey Frankel https://www.cato.org/cato-journal/springsummer-2019/should-fed-be-constrained   *Improving the Monetary Regime: The Case for U.S. Digital Cash* by Michael Bordo and Andrew Levin https://www.cato.org/cato-journal/springsummer-2019/improving-monetary-regime-case-us-digital-cash   David’s blog: macromarketmusings.blogspot.com David’s Twitter: @DavidBeckworth

30 Sep 201956min

Gregg Gelzinis is a policy analyst at the Center for American Progress where he focuses his work on financial institutions, financial markets, consumer finance policy, and financial regulation more broadly, and he joins the show today to talk about these issues. David and Gregg also discuss the Financial Stability Oversight Council’s (FSOC) inception, the tradeoffs between financial regulation and capital requirements, how the Fed could improve its stress testing.   Transcript for the episode: https://www.mercatus.org/bridge/podcasts/09232019/gregg-gelzinis-reforming-fsoc-and-how-limit-future-financial-crises   Gregg’s Twitter: @FinGregg Gregg’s Center for American Progress profile: https://www.americanprogress.org/about/staff/gelzinis-gregg/bio/   Related Links:   *Strengthening the Regulation and Oversight of Shadow Banks: Revitalizing the Financial Stability Oversight Council* by Gregg Gelzinis https://www.americanprogress.org/issues/economy/reports/2019/07/18/471564/strengthening-regulation-oversight-shadow-banks/   David’s blog: macromarketmusings.blogspot.com David’s Twitter: @DavidBeckworth

23 Sep 20191h 2min

Soumaya Keynes is the US economics editor for The Economist magazine, and she is also the co-host of *Trade Talks*, a podcast on all things trade, including trade policy, trade wars, and the future of trade. Soumaya joins the show today to talk about the general topic of trade, but also some other recent economic developments. David and Soumaya also discuss dollar dominance, the effects of trade policy on economic uncertainty, and the highlights, and major themes of the Kansas City Fed’s Jackson Hole Economic Policy Symposium.   Transcript for the episode: https://www.mercatus.org/bridge/podcasts/09162019/soumaya-keynes-trade-dollar-dominance-and-highlights-jackson-hole   Soumaya’s Twitter: @SoumayaKeynes Soumaya’s website: https://soumayakeynes.com/ Soumaya’s Economist profile: https://mediadirectory.economist.com/people/soumaya-keynes/   Related Links:   *Soumaya Keynes Says Trump Trade Tweets Have Unleashed 'Bigger Uncertainty' Beyond Tariffs* https://www.mercatus.org/bridge/commentary/soumaya-keynes-says-trump-trade-tweets-have-unleashed-bigger-uncertainty-beyond   *Trade Talks Podcast* hosted by Soumaya Keynes and Chad P. Brown (PIIE) https://www.piie.com/trade-talks   *18th Street Singers Website* http://www.18thstreetsingers.com/   *Riders on the Storm* by Oscar Jorda and Alan M. Taylor https://www.kansascityfed.org/~/media/files/publicat/sympos/2019/20190806taylorjorda.pdf?la=en   *Discussion of “Riders on the Storm” by Oscar Jorda and Alan Taylor* by Kristin Forbes https://www.kansascityfed.org/~/media/files/publicat/sympos/2019/forbes_remarks_jh_2019_08_23.pdf?la=en   *Mind the Gap in Sovereign Debt Markets: The U.S. Treasury Basis and the Dollar Risk Factor* by Arvind Krishnamurthy and Hanno Lustig https://www.kansascityfed.org/~/media/files/publicat/sympos/2019/ak%20jacksonhole%20conference%20paper%20on%20sovereign%20debt%20markets%20krishnamurthylustig.pdf?la=en   *U.S. Monetary Policy and International Risk Spillovers* by Sebnem Kalemli-Ozcan https://www.kansascityfed.org/~/media/files/publicat/sympos/2019/jh_paper_final_sep6.pdf?la=en   David’s blog: macromarketmusings.blogspot.com David’s Twitter: @DavidBeckworth

16 Sep 201949min