Fed Has Field of Economics in Its Pocket

Nobel laureate write classic intro text for 'dismal science'

(NEWSER) - Paul A. Samuelson, the first American Nobel laureate in economics and a familiar name to generations of college students, died today at his home outside Boston. He was 94. Ben Bernanke praised his former MIT professor as "a titan of economics," and a colleague said of their fellow academics, "No one was more important in providing the tools they use and the ideas that they employ than Paul Samuelson." More»

(NEWSER) - Economists give Ben Bernanke a big hug in a new Wall Street Journal survey. Most declare that the recession is over and nearly all in the group of 53 think President Obama should keep Bernanke in charge of the Fed when his term expires in January. Twenty-seven economists say the recession that began in December 2007 is kaput, and another 11 say it will be in a month or so. More»

(NEWSER) - Economists think the US unemployment rate will stay above 9% through 2010, the Wall Street Journal survey finds. Accordingly, those in the know believe the Federal Reserve will hold interest rates down at least through spring. “For real people, there is no recovery until the unemployment rate stabilizes,” one economist said. “If the Fed starts raising rates in the face of continued job losses, it could abort a recovery.” More»

Bigger deficits are worth the benefits, Fed chair tells Congress

(NEWSER) - Ben Bernanke supported the Obama administration’s economic policy before Congress today, the Wall Street Journal reports. The $787 billion stimulus bill should boost “demand and production” and soften job losses over the next 2 years, the Federal Reserve chief told the Senate Budget Committee. The expansion of government debt required by the stimulus is “unavoidable” Bernanke said, given the consequences of inaction. More»

Robert Samuelson outlines the feud between the bearded economists

(NEWSER) - Call it the "battle of the beards," suggests Robert Samuelson of the Washington Post : Paul Krugman vs. Ben Bernanke. Both are prominent economists, both have facial hair aplenty, and each has called the other "reckless." Krugman has been lambasting the Fed for not doing enough to help the economy recover—even if it means boosting inflation. Inflation, he argues, isn't so scary. Rising prices would encourage people to buy now, not later, and it would reduce the "real" value of debt. More»