Peter's Blog

The war in the Middle East continues to escalate, threatening the entire region with an all-out conflict that, should it boil over, is almost certain to lead to heavier US involvement. All eyes are on Israel and Iran. Meanwhile, as the presidential election nears, the Fed and other central banks are desperate to cut rates […]

Unveiling her set of “populist” economic actions for her first 100 days in office, Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris has promised a slew of government interventions to ease economic pain for Americans. But, like all economic interventions, they’ll make the problem even worse, cutting out the free market’s natural balancing mechanisms in favor of central […]

“I speak to you with the calmness of the truth,” Venezuelan presidential candidate Edmundo González told supporters, who had gathered outside his campaign headquarters in Caracas. “We have in our hands the tally sheets that demonstrate our categorical and mathematically irreversible victory.”

Inflation breeds desperation, and desperation breeds crime. As central banks in Europe and Canada cut interest rates, and expectations remain that the Fed will wait to cut until at least September if it cuts this year at all, our endlessly-wise global central bankers, the benevolent all-knowing stewards of the global economy, can’t seem to agree […]

This weekend, Todd Sachs interviewed Peter on the state of the economy. They discuss the parallels between now and the 2007-2008 housing crisis, the role of economic sentiment in voters’ opinions, and why foreign central banks are losing faith in the dollar.