Peter's Blog

Swedish Rent Control Exposes the Problem With Government Price Controls

Government price controls are a bad idea that just won’t go away. With prices skyrocketing, you’ll hear some people on the left argue that the US government should implement price controls. Meanwhile, President Biden’s “Build Back Better” plan would impose various price controls on prescription drugs.

Is There a Case for a Classical Gold Standard?

With the impact of sanctions tanking the ruble, the Russian central bank announced it would buy gold from local banks at a fixed rate. The move had the desired effect. The ruble quickly recovered. But the Central Bank of Russia abandoned the de facto gold standard almost as fast as it implemented it. Why?

Student Loan Forgiveness: Who Pays?

Student loan forgiveness has been in the news lately. There are a number of different plans being floated, from blanket debt repudiation up to various amounts, to more limited income-based schemes. But nobody ever talks about a key question: who is going to pay for it? Well, you will.

Oops! Our Bad! IMF Director Admits “We Printed too Much Money”

Mostly we get lies, spin and obfuscation from central bankers, politicians and bureaucrats. But every once in a while, one of these people accidentally wanders into the truth. IMF Director Kristalina Georgieva did just that during a recent panel discussion hosted by CNBC. She conceded that central banks globally “printed too much money and didn’t […]

Peter Schiff: Government Solutions for High Gas Prices Will Just Make Things Worse

As Peter Schiff put it in a recent podcast, government solutions make every problem worse. The solutions being floated to help Americans deal with high gas prices are no exception.

Is Inflation Good for You?

I would probably have a hard time convincing you that the higher prices you’re paying at the grocery store and the gas pump are “good for you.” But there are people out there making that claim.

What’s the Difference Between Naturally and Artificially Low Interest Rates?

We know that the Federal Reserve pushes interest rates artificially low by manipulating the federal funds rate (the target interest rate that commercial banks borrow and lend their excess reserves to each other) and using monetary policy maneuvers such as quantitative easing. But could we have low interest rates without Fed intervention? In this clip, […]

Study: Enhanced Unemployment Benefits Enhanced Unemployment

Incentives matter. All of the political grandstanding, media spin and wishful thinking won’t change this basic economic principle. Both Janet Yellen and Joe Biden insisted “enhanced” unemployment benefits weren’t incentivizing people not to work. But as we recently reported, analysis of continuing unemployment claims after a number of red states cut enhanced benefits undermined this […]

Incentives Matter: Unemployment Edition

Both Janet Yellen and Joe Biden insisted “enhanced” unemployment benefits weren’t incentivizing people not to work. The numbers prove them wrong.

Fun on Friday: Celebrating Work By Not Working

Labor day is a weird holiday. We celebrate working people by — not working. If labor is so great, shouldn’t we celebrate by doing more of it?