Econ 201: Monetary Policy
For interest:
Historical hyperinflations - Tim Taylor, February 2, 2019
What is "the interest rate?" It depends...
A Time Magazine history of the Federal Reserve in photos
NPR "This American Life" audio programs about how we crashed the financial system.
"The Giant Pool of Money", May 9, 2008 (Short version)
"Another Frightening Show about the Economy", Oct. 3, 2008
"Bad Bank", Feb. 27, 2009 (Bank balance sheets!)
"Return of the Giant Pool of Money", Sept. 25, 2009
"Other People's Money", Oct. 16, 2009
Central bank interventions to prevent economic collapse go back as far as 1825 England.
For interest on the Federal Reserve:
Fed starts to sell off its bailout assets. (Wall Street Journal, July 23, 2012)
What did the Fed do during the economic crash of 2008? Everything! (New York Times, December 2, 2010)
Ben Bernanke says some regrettable things
What happens when the Fed starts "printing money?" (Slate, November 26, 2008)
What more could the Fed be doing now? (Washington Post, July 8, 2010)
How life was before the Fed? In 1907, J.P. Morgan got us out of a financial crash, since then it's usually been the Fed who organized these fixes, but not always.
A founding father of the Federal Reserve Secretary of the Treasury William McAdoo (1863-1941). He doesn't get nearly enough credit.
Real interest rates can even be negative Some government bonds have a "real interest rate", that is, they pay an interest rate that rises as inflation increases, or falls as it falls.
What is this "Maiden Lane" item on the Fed's balance sheet? It's...not...good...not good at all. (NPR's Planet Money, April 6, 2010)
Some "famous "Fed flubs" (CNNMony, May 2011)
For amusement:
What is Money? (The Onion)
Where's George? (An NU video tracking how dollar bills flow around the country)
The European Central Bank has produced an information kit entitled "Price stability: why is it important for you?" for young teenagers and teachers, including an eight minute cartoon (which is great). "Wait a minute. I know you. You are inflation!"
People flipping out about the Federal Reserve
Mad Money's Jim Cramer flipping out in August 2007 "Bill Poole is ashamed!"
Jim Cramer after he took his medication He's still pretty out there though.
Former Congressman (and sometimes presidential candidate) Ron Paul He's no fan of Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke, and tells him off to his face. (February 27, 2007)
We would be way better off if we would get rid of the penny.
Monty Python's "The Money Song"
Randy Newman's "It's Money that Matters"