Quote from sjfan:
No. That's not correct. "The Federal Reserve's most critical role is to keep the economy healthy through the proper application of monetary policy." (http://www.frbsf.org/publications/federalreserve/fedinbrief/roles.html). Inflation is but one aspect of it.
Moreover, the Fed's actions in the current credit crisis not to save speculators, but to ensure that that liquidity is still orderly enough for corporations and other legitimate consumers of credit to have access borrowing. The credit world, unlike equity, is massively important from a day-to-day perspective. Many healthy corporations draw on bank loans, revolvers, and debt for critical operating necessities.
Quote from CommunistMonkey:
If you bail out idiots who take too much risk they'll just take extra risk next time around.
If Greenspan had a spine he's have solved the liquidity issues caused by LTCM but fucked all the investors. Instead he bailed them out. They consequently took more risk in the dot com bubble and needed a another bailout. He bailed those guys out and then they took more risk in this credit/mortgage/housing bubble. Do you have any idea how fucked we are if Bernake bails these idiots out and let's them think it's ok to take that much more risk the next time around?
Speculators speculate. When they win the get richer, when they lose they're supposed to get poorer. His incompentency, Greespan somehow figured that speculators who lost deserved to be richer too and we're all poorer for his lack of vision.
Quote from thecalip:
This is the most intelligent comment in this thread. The rest of them just whining in general. For all you idiots out there, read quoted post please. The Fed is not here to help the speculators get rich. Everyone need to be responsible for their own actions. The market is fine, it can absorb losses.
If you going to blame anyone for creating this, blame the CEOs and the managers taking all these risks.
Quote from AAAintheBeltway:
I'm amazed at the level of support for Bankruptcy Ben here. I honestly had no idea that many Fed staffers read ET.
I know there are those out there who are delighting in the suffering of house flippers, and those who have been shut out of the market and hope this will bring prices back to where you can afford them. Unfortunately, you will have a long wait. It will take years to unravel the mess Bankruptcy Ben is making.
For those who see this as a much-needed dose of the old-time religion to the economy, guess again. The single worst thing for government finances is a recession. Decifits soar, revenues go south and there is unbearable pressure for socialistic bailouts. How do you think FDR got the New Deal in place?
There are worst things than Wall Street assholes and irresponsible borrowers making money. We are on the verge of seeing that first hand.
Quote from AAAintheBeltway:
So you agree that Bernanke is a weak Chairman? I guarantee you that Paul Volcker didn't sit around listening to Board members whining.
I get your drift. Unfortunately, it's wrong.