Why the Federal Reserve had to step in again to stop runs on money market mutual funds and keep the financial system from imploding. Topics covered include: What are the differences between shocks and vulnerabilities What are the four main vulnerabilities the Federal Reserve monitors How deleveraging and demands for liquidity lead to market stresses What are the types of money market funds and how were they impacted by the Covid 19 shock How was Treasury bond trading … [Read more...]
324: 2020—The Year We Will Never Forget
A review of how the pandemic, financial markets, and government policy evolved in 2020 to make for an unforgettable year. Topics covered include: Why the Covid-19 pandemic ranks as the second worst in modern historyWhat is the difference between risk and uncertainty and how our investing should be different when dealing with uncertaintyWhat portfolio changes did David make in 2020 and how should he have invested if he had perfect foresightWhy speculative assets such as gold and … [Read more...]
322: Why Currency Exchange Rates Matter
How a nation's balance of payments impacts its currency exchange rate as evidenced by Turkey and other countries. Topics covered include: What is a nation's balance of payments, its current account, and its capital account How an individual's personal financial flows are similar to those of a country What is causing the currency crisis in Turkey and Lebanon Why gold imports have increased by 150% in Turkey What is the Triffin dilemma or paradox and does as how does it … [Read more...]
319: Here Come Central Bank Digital Currencies
How central bank digital currencies would work, what is the motivation to create them, and what are the risks. Topics covered include: What percentage of central banks are working on a digital currency and plan to issue one soonWhat are the two kinds of money that central banks currently issue and how would a central bank digital currency differHow central bank digital currencies would be similar and differ from Bitcoin and other cryptocurrenciesWhat are the benefits and risks of … [Read more...]
310: Why the Stock Market and Economy Are Rebounding So Quickly
How the current global recession differs from the Great Financial Crisis and why the recession is probably over. Topics covered include: Why the current recession has no debt and banking crisisWhy lower-income workers are disproportionally harmed by the current recessionHow the federal government and central bank responses differed between the current recession and the 2008–09 recession.Do increased unemployment benefits disincentivize workersWhy the recession is probably over but it … [Read more...]
297: How To Protect Your Savings
How to protect your savings from monetary threats like devaluation. Why high yield savings accounts exist and are they worth it. Topics covered include: Why Lebanon defaulted on its national debt and announced it will devalue its currency by 57%.Why some depositors in Lebanon will probably lose some of their bank savings.What investors can do to protect themselves from currency devaluations.What are stablecoins and why are they useful.Why some online banks pay above-average interest … [Read more...]
295: Federal Reserve Insolvency and Monetizing the National Debt
How central banks can become insolvent and why it can lead to hyperinflation. What are four ways the Federal Reserve and the U.S. Treasury could monetize the national debt. Topics covered include: What are the major asset and liabilities of the Federal Reserve How does the Federal Reserve make a profit and what happens if it suffers a loss. How has the Federal Reserve has significantly expanded the types of assets it will hold and what are the risks. What could cause the … [Read more...]
292: Will Infinite Money Save the Economy?
What central banks such as the Federal Reserve and federal governments are doing to counteract the negative impact of the pandemic related economic shutdown. What are the risks of this massive monetary and fiscal stimulus and how to mitigate those risks. Topics covered include: How central banks have the capacity to create an infinite amount of money.How the Federal Reserve is using its money-printing ability to stabilize the financial system and reduce the negative impact of the … [Read more...]
287: What Causes Hyperinflation and How To Prepare For It
What factors lead to hyperinflation, why it is so devastating, how hyperinflation can be overcome, and what can individuals do to be prepared for hyperinflation. Source: Bundesarchiv, Bild 102-00238 / Pahl, Georg / CC-BY-SA 3.0. Cropped and captioned. Topics covered include: What causes inflation and how do central banks manage it.How the causes of hyperinflation differ from more normal levels of inflation.What is the biggest challenge of living in a country with hyperinflation.How … [Read more...]
283: Why You Should Care About Carry Trades
How investors make money with carry trades, how central banks encourage such trades, and what are the dangers to financial markets and the economy when carry trades get too big. What Is a Carry Trade? Carry trades are investments in which the investor collects an income stream “as long as nothing happens,” as Tim Lee, Jaime Lee and Kevin Coldiron describe in their book The Rise of Carry. By nothing, the authors mean there is price stability in the underlying asset on which the carry … [Read more...]
