Thursday, January 14, 2010

links of the day 01-14-10

Arnold Kling discusses "safe" assets (EconLog)

Is there an indicator in brokerage margins? (The Reformed Broker)

Seems ill-timed but Tyler Cowen thinks about why Haiti is so poor (MR)

Buttonwood blasts trade protectionists (The Economist)

David Wessel scolds Ben Bernanke, responding to his AEA speech (WSJ)
-I guess I could label myself a Bernanke apologist, but I don't agree with this line of reasoning at all - you can't blame the Fed 100% nor can you lay all the blame on Wall Street nor can or should you blame the millions of borrowers who took an active role in the craze. It isn't like school where there is only one solution. The housing bubble was a mania which means that there were many many people who were complicit in bidding up asset prices.