By Brad Polumbo Millions of Americans have bought into forms of digital, decentralized money known as cryptocurrency, valuing its privacy and independence from government meddling. Naturally, politicians in Washington want to rain on the parade and shut down the newfangled currencies— like Bitcoin and Ethereum—that are beyond their control. One of the biggest opponents of … [Read more...] about Exposed: Congressman Trying to “Shut Down” Cryptocurrency Gets Biggest Donations From Big Banks and Financial Institutions
Banking
Central Banking as an Engine of Corruption
By Thomas J. DiLorenzo Much has been written about the famous debate between Thomas Jefferson and Alexander Hamilton over the constitutionality of America's first central bank, the Bank of the United States (BUS). This was where Jefferson, as secretary of state, enunciated his "strict constructionist" view of the Constitution, making his case to President George Washington … [Read more...] about Central Banking as an Engine of Corruption
Three Reasons Why Central Bank Digital Currencies Are a Bad Idea
By Tomas Forgac The central bank digital currencies (CBDC) are being sold with the narrative of protecting consumers who are increasingly moving to cashless payments. These cashless payments, we are told, rob us of privacy advantages of cash and while exposing us to bank runs, payment network blackouts, and to foreign financial adversaries. Yet, while these risks are … [Read more...] about Three Reasons Why Central Bank Digital Currencies Are a Bad Idea
Why Governments Hate Currency Competition
By Thorsten Polleit Introduction In this article, I would like to accomplish two goals: First, I want to explain what money is (and what it is not). I will argue that money is the medium of exchange, and that this is the only function of money. Second, I will point out why the size of the money supply does not matter and that the money supply does not have to grow to make an … [Read more...] about Why Governments Hate Currency Competition
One Weird Sign of Trouble in the Banking Sector
By Simon Black, Sovereign Man It was only a few generations ago that most people spent their entire lives within a few miles of where they were born. They grew up, lived, worked, and retired, all in the same place. And that was normal. Travel and relocation didn’t really become commonplace until after World War II. But even then, the most common reason people moved was … [Read more...] about One Weird Sign of Trouble in the Banking Sector
Central Banks Are Destroying What Was Left of Free Markets
By Alasdair Macleod President Reagan memorably said that the nine words you don’t want to hear are “I’m from the government, and I’m here to help.” Governments in all the major jurisdictions are now making good on that unwanted promise and are taking responsibility for everything from our shoulders. Those receiving subsidies and loan guarantees are no doubt grateful, … [Read more...] about Central Banks Are Destroying What Was Left of Free Markets
The Wealth Redistribution Scam That Is “Inflation”
By Thorsten Polleit The world over people are told that central banks pursue “price stability” by making sure that consumer goods prices do not rise by more than 2 percent per annum. This is, of course, a big sham. If the prices of goods rise over time, it does not take that much to understand that prices do not remain stable. And if the prices of goods increase over time, … [Read more...] about The Wealth Redistribution Scam That Is “Inflation”
How Today’s Central Bankers Threaten Civilization
By Claudio Grass When I was asked to write an article about the impact of negative interest rates and negative yielding bonds, I thought it was a chance to look at the topic from a broader perspective. There have been lots of articles speculating about the possible implications and focusing on their impact in the short run, but it’s not very often that an analysis looks a … [Read more...] about How Today’s Central Bankers Threaten Civilization
Big Banks Won’t Touch Crypto Clients – But These Smaller Banks Will
By Lubomir Tassev Cryptocurrencies undoubtedly bring new business opportunities. The expanding industry around digital assets and its customers need more and more services that traditional sectors can provide. Banking is often a bottleneck in the crypto space as most traditional institutions are still reluctant to get their feet wet. Smaller banks, however, are more willing … [Read more...] about Big Banks Won’t Touch Crypto Clients – But These Smaller Banks Will
The High Price of a “Free Lunch”
By Frank Hollenbeck One of the Ten Commandments is “thou shalt not steal,” and theft is generally condemned in most religions, yet our religious leaders and followers have essentially turned a blind eye to government theft. Based on a policy of envy, Bernie Sanders, for example, has bluntly stated he intends to tax the rich to fund his programs, as though the word rich … [Read more...] about The High Price of a “Free Lunch”
Negative Interest Rate Policies are Backfiring — New Research
Negative interest rate policies - where nominal rates are set below zero percent - have been introduced in Europe and Japan to stimulate flagging economies but research from the University of Bath shows the unconventional monetary strategy may be doing more harm than good. Recently, several major European banks announced plans to pass on negative interest rates to … [Read more...] about Negative Interest Rate Policies are Backfiring — New Research
The Hidden Tax in Central Banks’ Low-Interest Policy
By Brendan Brown Under the regime of the two-per-cent inflation standard, governments are levying a vast new tax. This shows up nowhere in public sector or private sector accounts and has so far created little if any resentment among those subject to its burden. Many live in the illusion that there is a continuing escape possible. This is a dream tax from the viewpoint of … [Read more...] about The Hidden Tax in Central Banks’ Low-Interest Policy