The BlackHawks will be dropping either $$$s or bombs

After a disappointing week - like the one we just went through - I always do two things. First I reread Ben's classic "helicopter" deflation speech from 2002 - http://www.federalreserve.gov/boarddocs/speeches/2002/20021121/default.htm And second, I reread Herbert...

What if everyone leaves the Euro?

Today should have been some sort of momentous occasion. The Germans have backed an expanded EFSF - but the markets are about as excited as Red Sox fans. The new chatter is that this expanded power is not enough - which is of course correct - the EFSF would need...

Hawks, Doves, Owls and Cuckoos

Here is an excerpt from Fed Governor Raskin's speech yesterday: "Indeed, some commentators assign a label of “hawk” or “dove” to the various FOMC participants in an attempt to characterize how we prioritize the goals of maximum employment and price stability. In my...

Aug-2010 Deja Vu & Timmy G’s Euro PPIP/TALF/SuperSIV Plan

Remember the August 10, 2010 FOMC meeting? After the statement was released we wrote a commentary entitled the "The Top 10 FOMC mistake list – a new addition” (see the link “NSN L7TH583PWT1D” on your BB). It was the meeting where Ben thought he was setting the stage...

The colonel orders a code pink and gets blood in the streets

So, the colonel wimped out. He didn’t listen to his academic consigliore – Rogoff, Woodford and Geanakoplos. And he left the most courageous Fed President – Charlie Evans – out in the cold. Instead he went for a compromise after feeling the heat from both a highly...

FOMC Alternatives – A, B, C and Z

At the FOMC meeting which begins today, there will likely be 3 alternatives presented in the Bluebook - A, B and C. Below we present what the statement might look like under each alternative. The more dovish Alternative A would likely call for 600b of longer dated...