February 07, 2011
The NYT had an article warning that the reputation of Mervyn King, the head of the Bank of England, is being damaged by the increase in inflation there. It says that the status of other central bankers are suffering for the same reason.
While the modest increase in the inflation rate in many countries may have some negative impact on the standing of central bankers, their failure to stem the housing bubbles that brought on the worst downturn since the Great Depression would be a more obvious explanation for their loss of status. According to the claims of many, including central bankers like Federal Reserve Board Chairman Ben Bernanke, their mismanagement actually brought many economies to the edge of a second Great Depression. While this claim is not true, it is widely believed. Most people would consider a second Great Depression to be a considerably more serious issue than 3.5 percent inflation.
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