
Alexandra Scaggs on Bond Markets, the Treasury Yield Curve, and MMT
Alexandra Scaggs is a senior writer at Barron’s covering financial markets with a special emphasis on bond markets, and she previously wrote news and commentary for the Financial Times and for Bloomberg. Alexandra joins the show today to talk about the current state of bond markets and what it means for the economy. David and Alexandra also discuss corporate debt, the inversion of the treasury yield curve, and the lasting impact of the modern monetary theory debate. Transcript for the episode: https://www.mercatus.org/bridge/podcasts/04292019/bond-markets-and-macroeconomics Alexandra’s Twitter: @alexandrascaggs Alexandra’s Barron’s profile: https://www.barrons.com/authors/8576 Related Links: *Negative-Yielding Bonds Top $9 Trillion as Growth Worries Return* by Adam Haigh https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2019-03-14/negative-yielding-bonds-top-9-trillion-as-growth-worries-return David’s blog: macromarketmusings.blogspot.com David’s Twitter: @DavidBeckworth
29 Apr 201951min

Andrew Park on the Implications of Collateralized Loan Obligations
Andrew Park is a senior editor at S&P LCD and is one of the foremost experts on collateralized loan obligations and the leverage loan market. Andrew also writes daily on what’s going on in the collateralized loan obligations (CLO) market and his data is the basis for most of the reporting on this topic in the Wall Street Journal, Financial Times, and by many policymakers. He joins the show today to talk about CLOs and their implications for the financial system and, more generally, the economy. David and Andrew also discuss the leveraged loan market, the differences between CDOs and CLOs, and the Fed’s most recent rate hikes. Transcript for the episode: https://www.mercatus.org/bridge/podcasts/04222019/andrew-park-loans-financial-system-and-economy Andrew’s Twitter: @apark_ Andrew’s Forbes profile & archive: https://www.forbes.com/sites/spleverage/people/andrewparksp/#18bc9eb1102d Related Links: *Wall Street’s Billionaire Machine, Where Almost Everyone Gets Rich* by Tom Metcalf, Tom Maloney, Sally Bakewell, and Christopher Cannon https://www.bloomberg.com/graphics/2018-collateralized-loan-obligations/ *U.S. Leveraged Loan Market: Plenty of Risk, But Not Systemic* by Beth MacLean https://www.pimco.com/en-us/insights/viewpoints/us-leveraged-loan-market-plenty-of-risk-but-not-systemic/ David’s blog: macromarketmusings.blogspot.com David’s Twitter: @DavidBeckworth
22 Apr 201958min

Eric Lonergan on Helicopter Drops and How to Improve Monetary Policy
Eric Lonergan is macro hedge fund manager, and economist, and a writer. He has written for Foreign Affairs, the Financial Times, and has authored the book *Money (The Art of Living)*. More recently, Eric has also co-authored a new book called *Angrynomics*. He joins the show today to talk about how to improve policymakers’ responses to recessions. David and Eric also discuss helicopter drops, dual interest rates, and how governments can make monetary policy more direct. Transcript for the episode: https://www.mercatus.org/bridge/podcasts/04152019/how-respond-recessions Eric’s Twitter: @ericlonners Eric’s blog: https://www.philosophyofmoney.net/blog/ Related Links: *Money: The Art of Living* by Eric Lonergan https://www.cambridge.org/core/books/money/486535FC2BE6ADB342A82A668584AE71 *Fixing the Euro Zone and Reducing Inequality, Without Fleecing the Rich* by Eric Lonergan and Mark Blyth https://hbr.org/2015/01/fixing-the-euro-zone-and-reducing-inequality-without-fleecing-the-rich David’s blog: macromarketmusings.blogspot.com David’s Twitter: @DavidBeckworth
15 Apr 201956min

Yair Listokin on the Convergence of Law and Macroeconomics
Yair Listokin is a professor of law at Yale Law School and is the author of a new book titled, *Law and Macroeconomics*. He joins the show today to talk about the book as well as some of his new work. David and Yair also discuss sovereign wealth funds, the legal limits of central banks, and how to expand fiscal policy while making it more effective. Transcript for the episode: https://www.mercatus.org/bridge/podcasts/04082019/law-and-macroeconomics Yair’s Yale Law School profile: https://law.yale.edu/yair-listokin Related Links: *Law and Macroeconomics: Legal Remedies to Recessions* by Yair Listokin http://www.hup.harvard.edu/catalog.php?isbn=9780674976054 David’s blog: macromarketmusings.blogspot.com David’s Twitter: @DavidBeckworth
8 Apr 201959min

Bryan Cutsinger on Seigniorage and the Monetary Economics of the Civil War
Bryan Cutsinger is an economist affiliated with Angelo State as well as Texas Tech University and recently published an article titled *Seigniorage in the Civil War South*. He joins the show today to talk about this article, the monetary history of the Civil War, and the economics of Seigniorage. David and Bryan also discuss how both the North and the South financed the war and why the South made some counterintuitive decisions in how they conducted monetary policy. Transcript for the episode: https://www.mercatus.org/bridge/podcasts/03292019/civil-war-and-economics-seigniorage Bryan’s website: https://www.bryancutsinger.com/ Bryan’s George Mason profile: https://economics.gmu.edu/people/bcutsing Related Links: *Seigniorage in the Civil War South* by Bryan Cutsinger and Joshua Ingber https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0014498318300470 *The Gold Standard as a Rule: An Essay in Exploration* by Michael Bordo and Finn Kydland https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0014498385710194 *Financial Failure and Confederate Defeat* by Douglas Ball https://www.amazon.com/Financial-Failure-Confederate-Defeat-Douglas/dp/0252017552 David’s blog: macromarketmusings.blogspot.com David’s Twitter: @DavidBeckworth
1 Apr 201958min

Paul Tucker on Central Bank Independence and *Unelected Power*
Paul Tucker is a 33-year veteran of the Bank of England where he served as both a member and deputy governor of the Monetary Policy Committee. Currently, Paul is a senior fellow at Harvard and a chair at the Systemic Risk Council. He has also recently authored a book, *Unelected Power: The Quest for Legitimacy in Central Banking and the Regulatory State* and joins the show today to discuss talk about it. David and Paul also discuss central bank independence and justifications for the existence of a regulatory state as well as Paul’s “principles for delegation” criteria. Transcript for the episode: https://www.mercatus.org/bridge/podcasts/03252019/paul-tucker-central-bank-independence-and-unelected-power Paul’s website: http://paultucker.me/ Paul’s Harvard University profile: https://ces.fas.harvard.edu/people/001970-paul-tucker Related Links: *Unelected Power: The Quest for Legitimacy in Central Banking and the Regulatory State* by Paul Tucker https://press.princeton.edu/titles/11240.html David’s blog: macromarketmusings.blogspot.com David’s Twitter: @DavidBeckworth Chapters: 00:00:00-Intro 00:00:22-Skip Intro 01:02:26-Outro
25 Mars 20191h 2min

James Broughel on the Social Discount Rate
James Broughel is a senior research fellow at the Mercatus Center and an adjunct professor of law at George Mason University Law School. James specializes in state and federal regulatory procedures, cost-benefit analysis, and economic growth. He joins the show today to talk about a recent symposium he hosted on the social discount rate; what it is, its uses, and the controversy surrounding how to measure it. David and James also discuss cost-benefit analysis in the regulatory world and why the social discount rate matters for policy. Transcript for the episode: https://www.mercatus.org/bridge/podcasts/03182019/discounting-future James’ Twitter: @JamesBroughel James’ Mercatus profile: https://www.mercatus.org/james-broughel Related Links: *The Social Rate of Time Preference and the Social Discount Rate* by Mark Moore and Adam Vining https://www.mercatus.org/system/files/moore_and_vining_-_mercatus_research_-_a_social_rate_of_time_preference_approach_to_social_discount_rate_-_v1.pdf *The Appropriate Measure of the Social Discount Rate and Its Role in the Analysis of Policies with Long-Run Consequences* by David Burgess https://www.mercatus.org/system/files/burgess_-_mercatus_research_-_the_appropriate_measure_of_the_social_discount_rate_and_its_role_in_the_analysis_of_policies_with_long-run_consequences_-_v1.pdf *The Unsettled Matter of Discounting the Future* by James Broughel https://www.mercatus.org/publications/regulation/social-discount-rate/unsettled-matter-discounting-future *Equity or Efficiency? The Battle for the Soul of Benefit-Cost Analysis* by James Broughel https://www.mercatus.org/publications/regulatory-analysis/equity-or-efficiency-battle-soul-benefit-cost-analysis Amazon link to James’ former band *Levy*: https://www.amazon.com/Levy/e/B001LHXCE2/ref=dp_byline_cont_music_1 David’s blog: macromarketmusings.blogspot.com David’s Twitter: @DavidBeckworth
18 Mars 20191h

Ryan Avent on Hyperinflation and the Fed’s New Dovish Direction
Ryan Avent is an economics columnist with The Economist magazine and is a previous guest of Macro Musings. He joins the show today to talk about some of his recent columns including work on hyperinflation, the Green New Deal, and Fed policy. David and Ryan also discuss the growing popularity of Modern Monetary Theory, the Fed’s dovish change in direction, and why hyperinflation is so devastating to a nation’s economy. Transcript for the episode: https://www.mercatus.org/bridge/podcasts/03112019/hyperinflation-and-mmt Ryan’s Twitter: @ryanavent Ryan’s Economist profile: http://mediadirectory.economist.com/people/ryan-avent/ Related Links: *Hyperinflations Can End Quickly, Given the Right Sort of Regime Change* by Ryan Avent https://www.economist.com/finance-and-economics/2019/01/31/hyperinflations-can-end-quickly-given-the-right-sort-of-regime-change *Taking the Fed at its Word: Direct Estimation of Central Bank Objectives using Text Analytics* by Adam Shapiro & Daniel Wilson https://www.frbsf.org/economic-research/files/wp2019-02.pdf David’s blog: macromarketmusings.blogspot.com David’s Twitter: @DavidBeckworth
11 Mars 201955min