Young Research & Publishing Inc.

Investment Research Since 1978

Disclosure

  • About Us
    • Contributors
    • Archives
    • Dick Young’s Safe America
    • The Final Richard C. Young’s Intelligence Report
    • You’ve Read The Last Issue of Intelligence Report, Now What?
    • Dick Young’s Research Key: Anecdotal Evidence Gathering
    • Crisis at Vanguard
  • Investment Analysis
    • Bonds
    • Currencies and Gold
    • Dividend Investing
    • ETFs & Funds
    • Investment Strategy
    • Retirement Investing
    • Stocks
    • The Efficient Frontier
  • Investment Counsel
  • Retirement Compounders®
  • Free Email Signup

Pop Quiz: Who Said It?

October 24, 2014 By Jeremy Jones, CFA

1.) “I will be the first to say that it is always difficult to get monetary policy just right. But the Fed’s analytical prowess is top-notch and our forecasting record is second to none”

2.) “Q: Can you act quickly enough to prevent inflation from getting out of control?A: We could raise interest rates in 15 minutes if we have to. So, there really is no problem with raising rates, tightening monetary policy, slowing the economy, reducing inflation, at the appropriate time. Now, that time is not now.

Q: You have what degree of confidence in your ability to control this [inflation]?

A: 100%”

3.) “People don’t realize that we cannot forecast the future. What we can do is have probabilities of what causes what, but that’s as far as we go. And I’ve had a very successful career as a forecaster, starting in 1948 forward. The number of mistakes I have made are just awesome. There is no number large enough to account for that.

4.) “I know that it is fashionable to talk about a “dual mandate”—that policy should be directed toward the two objectives of price stability and full employment. Fashionable or not, I find that mandate both operationally confusing and ultimately illusory: operationally confusing in breeding incessant debate in the Fed and the markets about which way should policy lean month-to-month or quarter-to-quarter with minute inspection of every passing statistic; illusory in the sense it implies a trade-off between economic growth and price stability, a concept that I thought had long ago been refuted not just by Nobel prize winners but by experience.”

Answer Key

  1. Janet Yellen, Fed Chairwoman and before that Berkeley Economics Professor
  2. Ben Bernanke, Former Fed Chairman (2006-2014) and before that Princeton Economics Professor
  3. Alan Greenspan, Former Fed Chairman (1987-2006) and before that Private Sector Economist
  4. Paul Volker, Former Fed Chairman (1979-1987) and before that Private Sector Economist

All four quotes are from individuals who served as Chairman of the Federal Reserve. Notice any patterns in the quotes? I do. The level of hubris has increased exponentially since Paul Volker was Chairman. What might be the cause? It probably isn’t a coincidence that Dr. Yellen and Dr. Bernanke spent their careers in academia while Mr. Greenspan and Mr. Volker were private sector economists before leading the Fed.

Share this:

  • Email
  • Twitter
  • Facebook

You Might Also Like:

  • Consumer Economy is Hot
  • More Good News for the Economy
  • Immigration Powering Canada’s Economy
  • Author
  • Recent Posts
Jeremy Jones, CFA
Jeremy Jones, CFA, CFP® is the Director of Research at Young Research & Publishing Inc., and the Chief Investment Officer at Richard C. Young & Co., Ltd. CNBC has ranked Richard C. Young & Co., Ltd. as one of the Top 100 Financial Advisors in the nation (2019-2022) Disclosure. Jeremy is also a contributing editor of youngresearch.com.
Latest posts by Jeremy Jones, CFA (see all)
  • Money Market Assets Hit Record High: $5.4 Trillion - May 26, 2023
  • The Mania in AI Stocks Has Arrived - May 25, 2023
  • The Wisdom of Sam Zell - May 24, 2023

Search Young Research

Most Popular

  • Your Survival Guy Felt Like a U.N. Worker in Rome
  • The Mania in AI Stocks Has Arrived
  • Money Market Assets Hit Record High: $5.4 Trillion
  • Your Survival Guy in Rome 30-Years A.B. (After Babson)
  • The Future of the American City is This…
  • Vanguard Wellesley (VWINX) vs. Wellington (VWELX): Which Fund is Best?
  • A Three-Week International Research Trip to Paris via Rome
  • Is an Investment Property Disaster Looming?
  • Letter to the Federal Reserve Chairman from Your Survival Guy
  • The Power of a Compound Interest Table

Don’t Miss

Default Risk Among the Many Concerns with Annuities

Risk and Reward: An Efficient Frontier

How to be a Billionaire: Proven Strategies from the Titans of Wealth

Cryptocosm and Life After Google

Warning: Avoid Mutual Fund Year End Distributions

Is Gold a Good Long-term Investment?

How to Invest in Gold

Vanguard Wellington (VWELX): The Original Balanced Fund

What is the Best Gold ETF for Investing and Trading?

Procter & Gamble (PG) Stock: The Only True Dividend King

The Dividend King of the North

You’ll Love This if You’re Dreaming of an Active Retirement Life

The Importance of a Balanced Portfolio

Invest with Peace of Mind and Comfort

What Kind of Life Are You Investing For?

RSS The Latest at Richardcyoung.com

  • Rewarding Loyalty with Ridicule
  • Rome, Paris, U.S.A.: Global Crisis in Confidence
  • June Is Retirement Compounders Month
  • Americans Scared of CBDC Control of Their Money
  • Your Survival Guy’s Best Insider’s Guide to Rome
  • Auto Profitability Colliding with Low Emissions
  • Birth Rates in France Worst Since Post-WWII Era
  • What Binds the Woke Left Together?
  • Joel Salatin and Alfie Oakes, America’s Food Kings
  • The Party Is Going Off the Rails

RSS The Latest at Yoursurvivalguy.com

  • Rome, Paris, U.S.A.: Global Crisis in Confidence
  • Your Survival Guy’s Best Insider’s Guide to Rome
  • What Is a Fiduciary Duty? Are You Working with a Fiduciary?
  • Survive and Thrive June 2023: Your Survival Guy in Rome 30-Years A.B. (After Babson)
  • Birth Rates in France Worst Since Post-WWII Era
  • Your Survival Guy Felt Like a U.N. Worker in Rome
  • Social Security: Declining Italy Needs a Bambino Boom
  • ATTACK ON THE IVAN KHURS: Unmanned Vessels Changing Naval Warfare
  • The Future of the American City is This…
  • Happy Memorial Day: Your Survival Guy: Proud To Be an American

About Us

  • About Young Research
  • Archives
  • Contributors

Our Partners

  • Richard C. Young & Co.
  • Richardcyoung.com

Copyright © 2023 | Terms & Conditions

loading Cancel
Post was not sent - check your email addresses!
Email check failed, please try again
Sorry, your blog cannot share posts by email.