Comment, analysis and other offerings from Wednesday’s FT,
Martin Wolf: ‘Helicopter Ben’ confronts the challenge of a lifetime
We are where we are partly because the Fed was so terrified of deflation six years ago. Now, a credit bubble later, Ben Bernanke has to cope with what he then feared. This time, the result will ultimately not be deflation but unexpectedly high inflation, though probably years hence.
Lex on US Treasuries
The US is moving from a liquidity trap to a liquidity flood. Monetary policy is almost as loose as it can be. And the dollar’s run could soon be over.
Interactive guide: Madoff-related losses
FT.com’s interactive graphic shows how much of the losses have been accounted for and where they lie in Bernard Madoff’s alleged $50bn fraud.
Luke Johnson: How to find that once-in-a-lifetime credit crisis deal
Be patient and remain super-solvent. Eventually, forced disposals will reveal assets with sound fundamentals… Then you should pounce.
Comment: Nicola Horlick and the titan’s inability to say ‘sorry’
John Kay writes: Most titans of finance do not experience regret because they do not feel it. They truly believe they were victims not villains
Analysis: Unmade in China
The FT’s Geoff Dyer examines how China – and more specifically its leaders – are dealing with the global economic slowdown
Russian economy: 1) Lex – an opportunity squandered
Russia’s predicament lays bare the extent to which Moscow squandered the chance provided by years of stratospheric energy prices to modernise its economy. The opportunity lost may not quickly return.
Russian economy: 2) Quentin Peel - Putin’s challenge
As the most powerful man in Russia, Vladimir Putin is directly responsible for the economy when a sharp recession is in prospect. And for the first time since he came to power, he seems to be losing his sure touch.
Insight, Sushil Wadhwani: Why policymakers should have known better
Could a common thread running through many of the policy mistakes be a belief in the Efficient Markets Hypothesis, asks Wadhwani, CEO of Wadhwani Asset Management and a former member of the Bank of England’s Monetary Policy Committee.
