Author Archives: Yves Smith

Bill Mitchell: Demystifying Modern Monetary Theory

Yves here. This is a useful and accessible talk by one of the leading Modern Monetary Theory developers, Bill Mitchell of the University of Newcastle, interviewed here by Marshall Auerback of INET.

This talk is wide-ranging, and starts by pointing out that in key ways, Modern Monetary Theory incorporates basic concepts that have perversely omitted from mainstream macroeconomics, largely for ideological reasons. This conversation does not get much into central bank operations, which is the basis for MMT’s claim that it is a much more accurate representation of how monetary operations work for a fait currency issuer like the US than textbook or popular press accounts that are based on outdated “gold standard” notions.

In typical Australian fashion, Mitchell is blunt, so I suspect readers will find this talk to be more lively and accessible than typical economists’ fare.

Yanis Varoufakis: Greek and European Prospects for 2015

Yves here. Yanis Varoufakis discusses the prospects for negotiations between a new, likely Szyria-led Greek government and the Troika over the next Greek restructuring. Varoufakis in effect argues that the Greeks should go hardball because the Trokia’s demands are unreasonable. We’ll find out soon enough whether the incoming government has the public support and the guts to do so.

As much as a Grexit would be a lose-lose of major proportions, Varoufakis argues that the logic of current Eurzone arrangements is driving members to a break-up. Indeed, some observers believe that Germany would like to kick Greece out of the Eurozone. As Marshall Auerback put it by e-mail:

As far as Germany goes, let me quote Macbeth:

I am in blood
Stepped in so far that, should I wade no more,
Returning were as tedious as go o’er.‎

Links New Years Eve

“Summer” Rerun: Quelle Surprise! Hank Paulson and Goldman CEO Talked to Each Other a Lot!

As I like to say, I started out on Wall Street when it was criminal only at the margin. The unseemly coziness between Goldman and keygovernment agencies in critical episodes during the crisis illustrates how much standards of conduct have deteriorated.

Links 12/30/14

Wolf Richter: It’s Official – Inflated Home Prices Strangle US Housing Market

Mortgages are hard to get, and inventories of homes for sale are low: Those have been the dominant reasons cited by the industry to rationalize the crummy home sales that have disappointed pundits for over a year. But now those memes have been debunked by homebuyers themselves.

Why Getting Rid of Loan Officers Hurt Banks and the Economy

Economists seldom take note of the fact that the degradation of skills at major banks has had serious macroeconomic effects. One example is the abandonment of loan officer training and branch manager autonomy at big banks.

Links 12/28/14

Don Quijones: How the Trade in Services Agreement Lets Big Brother Go Global

A new leak shows that the even-more-secret-than-the-TTP-and-TTIP Trade in Services Agreement is worse than you imagined.

Links 12/27/14

Google Further Crapifies Search, Exploiting Both Users and Advertisers

Is Google cooking its goose by optimizing search to maximize revenue extraction from advertisers?

Prominent MMT Advocate Stephanie Kelton to Become Chief Economist for Senate Budget Committee

Congratulations Stephanie! Amazingly, being a heterodox economist, no less a leading advocate of MMT, is not a bar to landing an influential post.