The Reserve Bank of Australia says it will stick to its planned tapering of bond purchases even as Sydney’s protracted lockdown is set to push the economy into contraction this quarter.

"A global pandemic is bringing the sea change in economic policy that the meltdown of financial markets in 2008 did not. While the shift is incomplete and its success is far from guaranteed, now is the time to reflect on its effects and the _...Read More_

>"Too much blood in terms of unemployment and sweat in terms of intellectual effort has been spent on trying _...Read More_

"The Covid-19 pandemic has posed governments with many ethical questions regarding lockdowns and vaccine prioritisation. Policies involve difficult health and income trade-offs, and the consequences are heterogeneously distributed across _...Read More_

Raising benefits — rather than cutting them — during a recession can be a powerful form of economic stimulus. "Is the welfare state really a drain on the economy? Or can it be our saviour during recessions? Max Mosley (LSE) shows that as _...Read More_

"Customers remain hesitant as lockdown habits and the prospect of crowded venues put people off going out"

Research finds that higher uncertainty, holding constant the first moment of expectations, reduces the spending of European households over the next several months.

Some good points here "Ever since Fed Chair Jerome Powell announced the Fed’s rescue package at the start of the pandemic, many progressives have criticized it for favoring the rich. The idea was that, in addition to pushing the short-term _...Read More_

"The shock to the global economy from the pandemic has been colossal, but things are now looking up – especially for advanced countries. Some are surprised by the pace of recovery, but they perhaps shouldn’t be, because alongside new _...Read More_

"Former Bank of England governor Mark Carney offers an explanation—but refuses to name the guilty parties"

"The strength of the US dollar in currency markets has drawn the attention of researchers, policymakers, and businesses for decades. This column examines the effects of the dollar on international trade, with a particular focus on exports. _...Read More_

"Republicans say President Biden’s spending plans will keep inflation rising, but the White House says the proposals could help tame costs."

"Government deficits always lead to a dollar-for-dollar increase in the supply of net financial assets held in the nongovernment bucket. That's not a theory. That's not an opinion. It's just the cold hard reality of stock-flow consistent _...Read More_