The natural rate of interest is an unobservable hypothetical rate of interest that was conceptualized by the Swedish Economist Knut Wicksell. There were precursors to this theory, such as Henry Thorton An Enquiry into the Nature and Effects of the Paper Credit of Great Britain in 1802, however, it was Wicksell’s theory that can trace […]
Author Archives: Mark Biernat
The Real Meaning of Laissez-Faire
Laissez-faire is an economic philosophy that literally translates to ‘let do’ or ‘let go.’ It generally means ‘leave it alone’ in reference to economic policy. Laissez-faire is an import word from the French because the genesis of modern economic thought connected to these ideas was physiocrats in the 18th-century. However, these ideas go back to […]
The Economics of Growing your own Food
‘I wish I could grow money’. You can. Growing your own food works. If you are trying to save money or improve your diet from a culinary perspective nothing beats growing your groceries. In this post, I will give you a plan that I personally implement. It saves me substantial after-tax disposable income. This is […]
What are the Causes of Inflation?
Inflation is a monetary phenomenon. Inflation can be defined as an aggregate increase in the prices or a decrease in the purchasing power of money. A price level change can be sustained or temporary. Inflation is sustained. Increases in the price level from exogenous shocks do not continue to increase prices generally. In contrast, when […]
Keynesian vs. Austrian Business Cycle Theory – Explained
I often ask my class to compare the Keynesian explanation for the business cycle compared to a monetary or Austrian explanation of a business cycle. I am primarily looking for the theory, rather than policy recommendations. I am looking for objectivity and positive economic analysis. Here are my class notes summarized in pdf. If you […]
Stock market crash prediction
Markets are hard to predict but economics give insight to the future direction of the stock market. Update: The market has not crashed yet because the Fed keeps pumping money and might do so until after the 2020 election. It is political. macroeconomic data moving averages or trends analysis quantitative valuations I am getting a […]
General Theory by Keynes – Free Ebook
John Maynard Keynes’ book The General Theory of Employment, Interest and Money published 1936 was a paradigm shift from the classical school. His book was a new understanding of money and markets. Whereas Keynes’ Treatise on Money was an extension of the theory of time, his General Theory started what is known as the “Keynesian […]
Cryptocurrencies – the next evolution of money
Cryptocurrency investing is like choosing Democracy over a King. That is, you are investing in an idea. You believe in decentralized currency and the freedom of economics and money. Even with the collapse of the Crypto bubble, the idea will resurface in another form as the market determination of the supply and demand for a […]
Capital by Karl Marx in PDF
This is a free version of Capital by Karl Marx for download below in PDF. It is not just the book Volume I, that are found on other websites, nor an on-line version where you have to scroll through endless pages in your browser, rather this is Volume I, II and III in one book […]
US Presidential Election 2016
Who will win the 2016 Presidential election? Update: Trump won. Even if he is not perfect, Clinton would have destroyed America with socialist policies. I do not like Trump’s spending and debt, especially on the military. This will unfold in another economic crisis. However, Clinton would have been worse. Trump needs to win in 2020 […]