Economy and Government

European Central Bank Ramps Up Asset Purchases in Light of Pandemic

European Central Bank Ramps Up Asset Purchases in Light of Pandemic

On June 4, 2020, the European Central Bank (ECB) announced it would increase its envelope of asset purchases by €600 billion to a total of €1.35 trillion. The increased purchases will further the central bank's policy of monetary easing in order to help households and businesses deal with the economic effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. The increase comes in response to disinflation and fears of a possible deflationary spiral. The ECB plans to continue asset purchases until it believes the coronavirus crisis is over and plans to reinvest any payments from maturing assets into further purchases. European interest rates will…
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Negative Interest Rates: A Novel Solution or a Novelty Item?

Negative Interest Rates: A Novel Solution or a Novelty Item?

In the wake of the economic downturn caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, some in the United States, including president Donald Trump, have called on the Federal Reserve to push interest rates below zero.  Negative interest rates would be unprecedented in the US but they have become established monetary policy in Europe and Japan.  Such rates represent a logical extension of expansionary monetary policy while also breaking key economic laws.  This counterintuitive policy raises more questions than it appears to answer.  How do negative interest rates work? could we really be paid to borrow money? and most importantly, can negative interest…
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COVID-19: A New Kind of Economic Challenge

COVID-19–the highly contagious respiratory illness–has rapidly become a global pandemic, with countries closing borders, restricting domestic and international travel, closing businesses, and even enforcing national quarantines. While the top priority of every country is to treat the ill, develop a cure, and ultimately distribute a vaccine for the virus, the U.S. government is also taking action to address the economic crisis caused by the Coronavirus.  In a short period, the pandemic is already having a devastating effect on the U.S. economy. Jan Hatzius, chief economist at Goldman Sachs, has predicted an unprecedented 34% decrease in Gross Domestic Product (GDP) for…
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Coronavirus and the Economy: A Forced Recession?

For years, many have talked about the inevitability of a recession. Throughout my time at Vanderbilt, discussions regarding how it will be difficult to find a job when we graduate always came up. In this unprecedented time, it seems as if the global economy is on the verge of collapsing. From sports’ leagues shutting down for an undetermined amount of time to the demand for gasoline falling to the Dow Jones industrial average tumbling, nothing seems to be going right economically. There are not many people, or companies, who are profiting right now. Of course, money should be the least…
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The Federal Reserve September Meeting

On Wednesday, the Federal Reserve concluded its September meeting in which it lowered the target range for the federal funds rate from 2 percent to 2¼  percent to 1¾ percent to 2 percent. In its statement regarding the decision, the Federal Reserve indicated that a weakening global economic outlook combined with low inflation motivated its decision.   The Fed had been targeting 2 percent objective for inflation, but it remains below that level.  Despite unemployment remaining low, the Fed decided to lower rates, which represents a stimulation of the economy, due to the lack of inflation.  In addition, the Fed indicated…
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