Macro Musings with David Beckworth

Robert McCauley, senior fellow at the Global Development Policy Center, discusses the basics of a bond market run and the policy reaction to the 2020 'Dash for Cash'. They also delve into concerns with corporate bond facilities and the effectiveness of the Federal Reserve's interventions in stabilizing the bond market.

Joe Gagnon, senior fellow at the Peterson Institute for International Economics and former senior staffer at the Federal Reserve Board of Governors, joins the podcast to discuss Jerome Powell's Jackson Hole speech. They cover topics such as the future direction of r star, current inflationary trends and the Phillips curve, the Fed's commitment to a two percent inflation target, and more.

Nicholas Anthony from the Cato Institute joins to discuss CBDCs, including arguments for and against, concerns in implementing a retail version, costs of development, legislative developments, concerns surrounding CBDCs, and prospects and challenges.

John Coates, professor of law and economics, discusses his book 'The Problem of Twelve: When a Few Financial Institutions Control Everything' on Macro Musings. They explore the rise of index funds and private equity, their impact on corporate governance, concerns with collusion and conflicts of interest, the influence on capitalism and markets, size and listings on stock exchanges, and potential solutions to the issue of concentrated financial institution control.

Zac Gross is a senior lecturer at Monash University and was formerly an economist at the Reserve Bank of Australia. Zac joins Macro Musings to talk about the Australian central bank and the recent review of its framework. Specifically, David and Zac also break down Australian monetary policy over the past few decades, the RBA’s yield curve control experiment, the future of its operating system, and a lot more.   Transcript for this week’s episode.   Zac’s Twitter: @ZacGross Zac’s website Zac’s Substack   David Beckworth’s Twitter: @DavidBeckworth Follow us on Twitter: @Macro_Musings   Join the Macro Musings mailing list! Check out our new Macro Musings merch!   Related Links:   *Assessing Australian Monetary Policy in the Twenty-First Century* By Isaac Gross and Andrew Leigh   *An RBA Fit for the Future* by Gordon de Brouwer, Renee Fry-McKibbin, and Carolyn Wilkins

Larry White is a professor of economics at George Mason University and is the author of a new book titled, *Better Money: Gold, Fiat, or Bitcoin?* Larry is also a returning guest to Macro Musings, and he rejoins the podcast to discuss this book and the comparison among those monetary standards. David and Larry specifically discuss the bottom-up vs. top-down theories of money, the basics and functionality of a gold, bitcoin, and fiat standards, the future of money, and more.   Transcript for this week’s episode.   Larry’s Twitter: @lawrencehwhite1 Larry’s Mercatus profile Larry’s GMU profile   David Beckworth’s Twitter: @DavidBeckworth Follow us on Twitter: @Macro_Musings   Join the Macro Musings mailing list! Check out our new Macro Musings merch!   Related Links:   *Better Money: Gold, Fiat, or Bitcoin?* by Lawrence White   *Larry White on Stablecoins, Money Market Funds, and the History of Free Banking* by Macro Musings

Ricardo Reis is a professor of economics at the London School of Economics and is the co-author of a new book titled, *A Crash Course on Crises: Macroeconomic Concepts for Run-ups, Collapses, and Recoveries.* Ricardo is also a previous guest of Macro Musings and he rejoins the podcast to talk about his new book as well as his overall assessment of the inflation surge of the past few years. David and Ricardo specifically discuss what constitutes a bubble, the Eurozone crisis as a story of capital inflows and misallocation, shadow banking and systemic risk during the 2008 financial crisis, Ricardo’s view of the Phillips curve, and a lot more.   Transcript for this week’s episode.   Ricardo’s Twitter: @R2Rsquared Ricardo’s LSE profile Ricardo’s website   David Beckworth’s Twitter: @DavidBeckworth Follow us on Twitter: @Macro_Musings   Join the Macro Musings mailing list! Check out our new Macro Musings merch!   *A Crash Course on Crises: Macroeconomic Concepts for Run-Ups, Collapses, and Recoveries* by Ricardo Reis and Markus Brunnermeier   *Ricardo Reis on Central Bank Swap Lines, Fiscal Sustainability, and Outlooks for Inflation* by Macro Musings

George Selgin is a senior fellow and director emeritus of the Center for Monetary and Financial Alternatives at the Cato Institute. George is also a frequent guest on Macro Musings, and he rejoins the podcast to talk about some of the recent developments in the monetary and financial policy space. Specifically, David and George discuss the history and present developments surrounding FedNow, the future of real-time payments, how to revise the Fed’s operating system, whether the Fed is currently delivering on a soft landing, and a lot more.   Transcript for this week’s episode.   George’s Twitter: @GeorgeSelgin George Cato Institute profile   David Beckworth’s Twitter: @DavidBeckworth Follow us on Twitter: @Macro_Musings   Join the Macro Musings mailing list! Check out our new Macro Musings merch!   Related Links:   *George Selgin on False Dawn: The New Deal and the Promise of Recovery* by Macro Musings   *Getting Up From the Floor* by Claudio Borio   *Opening a Federal Reserve Account* by Julie Hill   *From Cannabis to Crypto: Federal Reserve Discretion in Payments* by Julie Hill   *Fiscal Arithmetic and the Global Inflation Outlook* by Peder Beck-Friis and Richard Clarida

Bryan Cutsinger is an assistant professor of economics at Angelo State University and Louis Rouanet is an assistant professor of economics at the University of Texas, El Paso. Bryan and Louis join Macro Musings to talk about the French Revolution, France’s public finances, its bout with hyperinflation, and finally, the implications of this experience for macroeconomic theory today. Specifically, David, Bryan and Louis also discuss the creation and widespread dissemination of assignats, the emergence guillotine-backed currency in France, the state vs. market theories of money, and a lot more.   Transcript for this week’s episode.   Bryan’s Twitter: @BryanPCutsinger Bryan’s website Bryan’s ASU profile   Louis’s Twitter: @LouisROUANET Louis’s website   David Beckworth’s Twitter: @DavidBeckworth Follow us on Twitter: @Macro_Musings   Join the Macro Musings mailing list! Check out our new Macro Musings merch!   Related Links:   *Assignats or Death: The Politics and Dynamics of Hyperinflation in Revolutionary France* by Bryan Cutsinger, Louis Rouanet, and Joshua Ingber   *Macroeconomics Features of the French Revolution* by Thomas Sargent and Francois Velde

Jesus Fernandez-Villaverde is a professor of economics at the University of Pennsylvania and is the co-director of the Business, Economic, and Financial History Project at the Wharton School of Business. Jesus is also a returning guest to the podcast, and he rejoins Macro Musings to talk about recent macroeconomic developments, the demographic issues facing the world, and AI’s implications for economic growth. Specifically, David and Jesus also discuss whether we needed the fiscal and monetary stimulus of 2021, the European inflation story, South Korea as a case study for global demographic trends, how quantum computing will may impact macroeconomics in the future, and more.   Transcript for this week’s episode.   Jesus’s UPenn profile Jesus’s NBER archive   David Beckworth’s Twitter: @DavidBeckworth Follow us on Twitter: @Macro_Musings   Join the Macro Musings mailing list! Check out our new Macro Musings merch!   Related Links:   *The Demographic Future of Humanity: The Trends* by Jesus Fernandez-Villaverde   *The Demographic Future of Humanity: Economic Challenge* by Jesus Fernandez-Villaverde   *The Demographic Future of Humanity: Social Change* by Jesus Fernandez-Villaverde   *Dynamic Programming on a Quantum Annealer: Solving the RBC Model* by Jesus Fernandez-Villaverde and Isaiah Hull