SVB Bank and Signature Bank failed this week and were bailed out. Mark explains why the banks failed and why it was bound to happen. The minor issue is that the total FDIC bailout fund is actually smaller than either one of the banks. Be sure to follow Minor Issues at Mises.org/MinorIssues. [embedded content] Tags:...
Read More »Anatomy of the Bank Run
[This article is featured in chapter 79 of Making Economic Sense by Murray Rothbard and originally appeared in the September, 1985 edition of The Free Market] It was a scene familiar to any nostalgia buff: all-night lines waiting for the banks (first in Ohio, then in Maryland) to open; pompous but mendacious assurances by the bankers that all is well and that the people should go home; a stubborn insistence by depositors to get their money out; and the consequent...
Read More »How the Fed’s 2008 Mortgage Experiment Fueled Today’s Housing Crisis
How should Congress assess the Federal Reserve’s track record as an investor in residential mortgage-backed securities (MBS)? Regardless of Fed spin, it merits a failing grade. The Fed’s COVID-era intervention in the mortgage markets fueled the second real estate bubble of the 21st century. The bubble ended when the Fed stopped purchasing MBS and raised rates to fight inflation. While time will tell whether recent increases in home prices are reversed, the end of the...
Read More »Influencers and Subjective Value: They Have Something to Teach Us
In 2022, investments into the creator economy surged to $5 billion. The term creator refers to people who generate value from intellectual output or artistic work. However, a new form of creative has emerged known as the “influencer.” Influencers are online personalities who, through their charisma, cultivate a loyal fanbase. Due to their reach, brands employ influencers to market their products and services. Influencer marketing has proven to be a lucrative venture,...
Read More »Ready for Retirement? Fewer and Fewer Americans Are Saving for That Time
Because of inflation and a lack of a savings ethic, Americans are less prepared for retirement than ever. The numbers are discouraging. Original Article: "Ready for Retirement? Fewer and Fewer Americans Are Saving for That Time" This Audio Mises Wire is generously sponsored by Christopher Condon. [embedded content]...
Read More »Bankers and Bailouts Are Ripping Us Off
Ryan and Tho talk about how last week's banking panic led to new ways for bankers and politicians to exploit regular people through inflation, regulations, and corrupt loans. Be sure to follow Radio Rothbard at Mises.org/RadioRothbard. [embedded content] Tags: Featured,newsletter
Read More »Nonmeasure for Nonmeasure
Nomocratic Pluralism: Plural Values, Negative Liberty, and the Rule of Lawby Kenneth B. McIntyrePalgrave Macmillan, 2021; xii + 214 pp. Kenneth McIntyre, a political theorist and historian who teaches at Sam Houston State University, addresses one of the most difficult questions in political philosophy in his excellent book. It is a question that should interest everyone who wants a free society. McIntyre sets forward his answer with an immense command of the...
Read More »Yearning for Beauty in the Truth of Economic Thinking
Those adhering to Austrian Economic thinking see the beauty in concepts coming together and providing a way to truthfully assess human action. Original Article: "Yearning for Beauty in the Truth of Economic Thinking" This Audio Mises Wire is generously sponsored by Christopher Condon. [embedded content] Tags:...
Read More »The Bank of England: Money Creation in Their Own Words
In March 2014 the world’s oldest central bank, the Bank of England (BoE), did every advocate of sound money a big but unintentional favor by publishing an official introduction to and an official detailed account of unsound money. Given both the importance of and the lack of publicity regarding these two seminal papers over the past nine years, even here at mises.org, the focus in this piece will be on quoting some of the BoE’s “greatest hits.” (This approach was...
Read More »No, We Don’t Need More Nuclear Weapons
Republicans and Democrats may quibble over how federal tax dollars might be spent on various social welfare programs like Medicaid and food stamps. But alongside Social Security, there is one area of federal spending that everyone can apparently agree on: military spending. Last year, the Biden administration requested one of the largest peacetime budgets ever, at $813 billion. Congress wanted even more spending and ended up approving a budget of $858 billion. In...
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