IN BRIEF

Bernanke’s Battle for Jobs Eclipses Inflation Concerns

SEPTEMBER 14, 2012 by CHUCK GRIMMETT

“Ben S. Bernanke for the first time pledged that the Federal Reserve will buy bonds until the economy gets closer to his goals, cementing his place as the Fed’s most innovative chairman and signaling the battle against unemployment eclipses any concerns about inflation for now.

The central bank yesterday announced its third round of large-scale asset purchases since 2008, with the difference that it didn’t set any limit on the ultimate amount it would buy or the duration of the program. Instead, Bernanke said stimulus will be expanded until the Fed sees “sustained improvement” in the labor market.” (Bloomberg)

The belief that inflation increases employment is perhaps the most costly myth of the present age.

FEE Timely Classic

“Inflation versus Employment” by Henry Hazlitt