By Jamie Redman Since the birth of Bitcoin, crusaders fighting for the separation of money and state discovered a new payment tool that bypasses the nation state’s control over the monetary system. For over ten years now, lots of people have been using digital currencies to hide from prying eyes of governments in order to free themselves from a system that contributes to … [Read more...] about Doing What You Want With Your Money Is a Fundamental Right
Banking
A Tale of Two Bubbles: How the Fed Crashed the Tech and the Housing Markets
By Luka Nikolic Since its founding, the Federal Reserve has had a hand in creating some of the largest bubbles in history. When the bank lowers interest rates, there is excess cash in the economy, making it relatively cheap for anyone to borrow. This creates malinvestment in the economy because while not everyone has profitable ideas, many more people can borrow, causing a … [Read more...] about A Tale of Two Bubbles: How the Fed Crashed the Tech and the Housing Markets
Unbanked for Buying Bitcoin: How the Financial System Criminalizes Crypto
By Kai Sedgwick When we think of the unbanked, we envisage citizens of developing nations who lack the means and documentation to obtain access. But you don’t have to be a Mongolian goat herder to find yourself financially excluded. In the West, relatively affluent citizens are having their banking services withdrawn suddenly and without warning. Their ‘crime’? Buying and … [Read more...] about Unbanked for Buying Bitcoin: How the Financial System Criminalizes Crypto
The Pension Fund Apocalypse
By Colin Lloyd Over the period from 1915 to 2014 the return on U.S. equities was an annualized 11.5 percent, while the return on government bonds averaged 4.3 percent. The longer-run average S&P 500 return is nearer 9 percent, but during the past decade it has exceeded 14 percent. U.S. bonds have also rallied, returning around 2 percent. Yields across most developed … [Read more...] about The Pension Fund Apocalypse
How Central Bank Interest Rate Policy Is Destabilizing Banks
By Justin Murray Broadly speaking, banks operate under the concept of maturity transformation. Banks take short-term – less than one year – financing vehicles, such as customer deposits, and use that to finance long-term – more than one year – returns. These returns range from the most commonly understood loans, such as auto loans and mortgages, to investments in equity, … [Read more...] about How Central Bank Interest Rate Policy Is Destabilizing Banks
Central Banking Is Central Planning
By Richard M. Ebeling At a time when the appeal of and demands for a new “democratic” socialism seem to have caught the imagination of many among the young and are reflected in the promises of a good number of political candidates running for high office, there is one already-existing socialist institution in America with few opponents: the Federal Reserve System. The … [Read more...] about Central Banking Is Central Planning
How Big Government Politicians Cause the Inequality They Claim to Fight
By Daniel Kowalski With the 2020 presidential election on the horizon, there are currently over 15 serious Democratic contenders competing for the party’s nomination. Some candidates, like Andrew Yang, have detailed policy proposals they are consistent about. Others seem to keep maneuvering left with their positions in order to outflank their competitors, while a few seem … [Read more...] about How Big Government Politicians Cause the Inequality They Claim to Fight
“It Belongs to the People, Not the Bankers”: Italy Moves to Seize Gold From Central Bank
By Tyler Durden Two weeks ago, somewhat out of the blue, ECB President Mario Draghi issued an odd statement confirming that the European Central Bank needs to approve any operation in the foreign reserves of euro zone countries, including gold and large foreign currency holdings. The ECB shall approve both the operations in foreign reserve assets remaining with the NCBs … [Read more...] about “It Belongs to the People, Not the Bankers”: Italy Moves to Seize Gold From Central Bank
The Reasons Behind The Relentless Ideological Onslaught Against Free Markets
By Brandon Smith I sometimes think that the free market concept is treated like The Hunchback of Notre-Dame’s Quasimodo in the long novel of global economic history. It is considered ugly and undesirable by most people who judge it at a mere glance without bothering to understand it. It is a bogeyman; a scapegoat for numerous societal problems that it has nothing to do with. … [Read more...] about The Reasons Behind The Relentless Ideological Onslaught Against Free Markets
The New Cash? Why Governments Don’t Like Cryptocurrency
By Nicholas West Cash is a problem for banks and governments. And, as we know, banks and governments are joined at the hip -- each creating policies that strengthen the power of the other. It is no mystery, then, why we continue to see an acceleration in the "War on Cash." Cash creates a barrier to tracking and control and removes the ability to charge a wide range of … [Read more...] about The New Cash? Why Governments Don’t Like Cryptocurrency