Another month, another 75 basis point rate cut by the Fed. This is (close to) what the market expected, so I can’t imagine that it would have much impact on anything. However, the statement was interesting. Does anyone else find it interesting that the Fed cut rates by 75 basis points but still wrote a […]
Today I noticed two very different stories about the outlook for the New Zealand economy. From Bernard Hickey (h.t. Kiwiblog) we have a dramatised version of what ANZ and BNZ are saying about economic conditions. From Berl we have a more moderate story which is closer in form to all the other analysts (such as […]
I’m suspicious about Dr Cullen’s claim that we are heading for a “technical recession“. I agree that we are heading towards a period of sub-trend growth. We might be heading towards a period where we have a consumption based recession (slow growth, consumption stalls, unemployment rises), which would be a big deal.
(picture Toothpaste for Dinner, ht 26econ) A common argument that I hear for buying a house is that paying rent is a waste of money. The main proponents of this point of view seem to be my parents’ generation, however it is a point of view I can’t easily agree with. To compare buying a […]
Skimming Stuff this morning I noticed the headline: House price slump ‘drag on economy’. I thought that it might be useful, or possibly even interesting to discuss how a cooling in the New Zealand housing market could weaken economic activity. When thinking about this issue we gave to ask the following question – how does […]
An interesting article by Sebastian Mallaby discussed the contrary monetary policy strategies of the US Federal Reserve (cut rates to avoid a recession) and the European Central bank (keep rates elevated to avoid inflation). (h.t. Greg Mankiw) In the article, Mallaby alludes to the view that the US Federal Reserve might feel that it is […]