November 08, 2010
The NYT repeatedly refers to the credibility of the Federal Reserve Board. This is an interesting assertion. The Fed failed about as completely as a central bank possibly could in allowing the growth of an $ 8 trillion housing bubble. According to the Fed’s own projections, the collapse of this bubble is likely to lead to more than $4 trillion in lost economic output, more than $13,000 for every person in the United States.
By comparison, the costs of the inflation that it was battling in the 70s and 80s were trivial. It is difficult to see how anyone who understands economics would give the Fed any credibility whatsoever based on its track record.
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