“We’ve never had a decline in house prices on a nationwide basis. So, what I think what is more likely is that house prices will slow, maybe stabilize, might slow consumption spending a bit. I don’t think it’s going to drive the economy too far from its full employment path, though.” ThinkingMightHouseBitsEconomyPathBasesSpendingEmploymentDeclineConsumptionHouse Prices Author:Ben Bernanke
“To avoid large and unsustainable budget deficits, the nation will ultimately have to choose among higher taxes, modifications to entitlement programs such as Social Security and Medicare, less spending on everything else from education to defense, or some combination of the above.” NationsSocialSecurityHigherTaxesProgramSpendingDefenseCombinationBudgetsSocial SecurityDeficitEntitlementMedicareModificationEntitlement ProgramsBudget Deficit Author:Ben Bernanke
“Under current law, on January 1, 2013, there's going to be a massive fiscal cliff of large spending cuts and tax increases.” ImportantLawCuttingTaxesPercentIncreaseCurrentsSpendingMassiveCliffsJanuaryTax IncreasesGangnam StyleSpending CutsJanuary 1stFiscal Cliff Author:Ben Bernanke
“The basic prescription for preventing deflation is therefore straightforward, at least in principle: Use monetary and fiscal policy as needed to support aggregate spending, in a manner as nearly consistent as possible with full utilization of economic resources and low and stable inflation. In other words, the best way to get out of trouble is not to get into it in the first place.” WayFirstsUseBusinessPrinciplesSupportEconomyTroubleEconomicPolicyNeededLowsResourcesEconomicsSpendingBest WayFinanceConsistentStableInflationStraightforwardMonetaryPrescriptionsPreventingUtilizationDeflationFiscal PolicyEconomic Resources Author:Ben Bernanke
“The sources of deflation are not a mystery. Deflation is in almost all cases a side effect of a collapse of aggregate demand.. a drop in spending so severe that producers must cut prices on an ongoing basis in order to find buyers.” OrderSidesCasesEconomyCuttingMysteryEffectsSourceDemandEconomicsBasesSpendingProducersFinanceCollapseSevereOngoingBuyersSide EffectsDeflation Author:Ben Bernanke
“There's no denying that a collapse in stock prices today would pose serious macroeconomic challenges for the United States. Consumer spending would slow, and the U.S. economy would become less of a magnet for foreign investors. Economic growth, which in any case has recently been at unsustainable levels, would decline somewhat. History proves, however, that a smart central bank can protect the economy and the financial sector from the nastier side effects of a stock market collapse.” StatesTodaySidesGrowthChallengesLevelsUnitedCasesUnited StatesEconomyEconomicEffectsSeriousProtectProveSmartEconomicsFinancialSpendingFinanceConsumersInvestorsDeclineCollapseEconomic GrowthMagnetSide EffectsCentral BanksMacroeconomicsStock Price Author:Ben Bernanke
