Peter's Blog

Why People Value Worthless Paper Money

Fiat money is intrinsically worthless and yet people still value it. Where does this value come from? Our guest commentator cites Austrian thinkers Menger and Mises. He traces the purchasing power of paper money back its historical root: real money, i.e. physical gold.

Degrowth Advocates Misunderstand the Business Cycle

December saw a resurgence of “degrowth” advocates in the media, with two articles published by Nature garnering special attention on X (formerly Twitter). The fallacies underlying the degrowth movement are not new in economics, but it’s worth revisiting them and their important connections to monetary policy in the age of central banking.

The Student Loan Crisis: Economic Boom-Bust in a Microcosm

The student loan forgiveness program recently announced by President Joe Biden stirred up quite the political brouhaha. Progressives praised Biden for helping students burdened by overwhelming student loan debt. Conservatives decried it as an unfair giveaway. But as with most issues, the popular political debate misses the bigger picture. The student loan crisis was primarily […]

Brain Dump: SchiffGold Friday Gold Wrap Aug. 19, 2022

It was a relatively slow news week in the financial realm. For once, the Fed didn’t do anything particularly noteworthy. So, Friday Gold Wrap Host Mike Maharrey took advantage of the lull. Along with covering some economic data and media spin, he hit on a couple of subjects he hasn’t been able to get to […]

Contra Krugman: It’s Your Dime Interview with Economist Bob Murphy

SchiffGold’s It’s Your Dime features “straight talk” interviews with movers and shakers in the world of precious metals, investing and economics. In this episode, host Mike Maharrey talks with economist Bob Murphy about his Contra Krugman book, how Keynesian economics goes off the rails, the time Paul Krugman ridiculously compared HealthCare.gov to UPS, the trade war, the […]

It’s Your Dime Interview with Mises Institute President Jeff Deist

SchiffGold’s It’s Your Dime features “straight talk” interviews with movers and shakers in the world of precious metals, investing and economics. In this episode, I talk with Mises Institute president Jeff Deist about Austrian economics, the Fed, Trumpanomics. the biggest threats to our freedom, and of course, gold.