Bank capital – what is it and how is it regulated?

This content submission has two parts: (1) a link to the post by Wolf Richter on deterioration of US subprime credit card debt and loans, driven in part by the overuse of hedonic quality adjustments in the Consumer Price Index (CPI) used by the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, and (2) to introduce Exploring Economics to the website Naked Capitalism, which is an effort to promote critical thinking through the medium of a finance and economics blog and fearless commentary.

In aufgeheizten Zeiten mit noch aufgeheizteren Debatten lohnt es sich manchmal, einen Schritt zurückzutreten, um die Dinge grundsätzlich zu betrachten und nüchtern zu analysieren. Wenn man das bei dem seit November andauernden Streit über die Haushaltspolitik der Bundesregierung tut, kommt man zu einigen spannenden Erkenntnissen, erklären Jonas Plattner und Chiara Rohlfs in der Agora42 Kolumne.

The Economics and Geopolitics of Russia Selling Yuan and Gold Reserves It is important for students to understand the workings of international and public finance and that the goal of governments and politicians is not always economic efficiency when making financial decisions. Normative goals other than efficiency can motivate economic decisions. A good economist is able to recognise, clearly name and take into account the values and goals behind economic behaviour, when making sense of the world.

John Christensen from the Tax Justice Network addresses the Modern Monetary Theory idea that governments don't need tax revenues if they want to spend money. Doing so, he sums up the main points made by MMT proponents and their critics, and shows how MMT can be reconciled with another progressive economic narrative: "Modern Tax Theory". While MMT made valuable contributions to the policy debate on fiscal policy, it misrepresents the importance of taxation as a political matter and as a way to generate public revenues. This is where MMT steps in.