Ezra Klein Archive: Federal Reserve

Inflation and the Fed

In general, the Fed's behavior tends to track the Taylor Rule, which is an economic formula based off a mixture of unemployment and inflation. Don't worry, there's not going to be a quiz. Suffice to say that the situation...

The Perfect Fed Chairman?

The perfect Federal Reserve chairman, writes Simon Johnson, would have had both the right jobs before the crisis and the right opinions before the crisis. "Unfortunately," he says, "there is essentially no one who meets both criteria." The people with...

Why Did Obama Reappoint Bernanke on His Vacation?

The surprise isn't that Barack Obama reappointed Ben Bernanke. It's that he announced reappointing Ben Bernanke today. Obama is on vacation in Martha's Vineyard. It's a rare person who reappoints the Fed chairman in order to relax. Nor was...

Not Who Should Lead the Fed, But How

Steve Pearlstein has a nice column today arguing that the important question is not who should be appointed — or reappointed — chairman of the Federal Reserve, but how that job is to be structured in the first place. Whenever...

For, And Against, Reappointing Ben Bernanke

There's been rather a lot of commentary on whether Barack Obama should reappoint Ben Bernanke to the Federal Reserve. Count me with Tyler Cowen: In this case, Bernanke probably should be reappointed, not only because he's performed admirably, but...

The Problems With the Federal Reserve -- and Its Alternatives

William Greider, author of "Secrets of the Temple: How the Federal Reserve Runs the Country", knows more about the Fed than just about anyone alive, with the possible exception of those who worked there. And that's only a possible exception....

Older Entries in This Category »

Why Bernanke's Bad Day Is Actually Good, Ezra Klein , June 25, 2009

Does the Federal Reserve Want to Increase Inflation?, Ezra Klein , June 8, 2009

What Will Become of the Federal Reserve?, Ezra Klein , June 3, 2009

What Does Ben Bernanke Believe About the Financial Crisis?, Ezra Klein , May 29, 2009

Reading Lists of the Rich and Famous, Ezra Klein , May 28, 2009

Should Ben Bernanke Roll the Dice?, Ezra Klein , May 22, 2009