The Keynesian elite gathered in Davos Switzerland this past week to pontificate on global economic issues and to strategize the engineering of The Fourth Industrial Revolution. This new so called “revolution” includes a discussion on the future of Artificial Intelligence. Judging by the comments coming from most of the list of attendees, it seems obvious the intelligence on display was indeed faux. But the most important take away from this venue was that central bankers have made it clear to the markets that the level and duration of quantitative counterfeiting knows no bounds.
European Central Bank (ECB) President, Mario Draghi, used the platform to assure investors he’ll do whatever further is needed to reach his absurd inflation goal: “We’ve plenty of instruments, said Draghi.” “We have the determination, and the willingness and the capacity of the Governing Council, to act and deploy these instruments.”
Central bankers love to use words like instruments and tools to describe the methods and strategies available to them because it makes what they actually do appear less primitive. But truth be told, the only instrument or tool central banks have is the impious power to create money and credit by decree.
Not to be outdone by the Europeans, Japan’s chief money printer, Haruhiko Kuroda, appeared downright giddy from monetary intoxication when discussing what he refers to as his
QQE–Quantitative and Qualitative Monetary Easing program. As if adding that additional “Q” somehow makes it more palatable and effective than the generic form of Quantitative Easing.
When asked by a reporter if the Bank of Japan (BOJ) had more room to ease, Kuroda glibly chuckled that the BOJ has “only” purchased 33% of all existing Government Bonds and conveyed the willingness to monetize every available sovereign debt note issued by the insolvent government of Japan.
And since Mr. Kuroda thinks destroying your nation’s currency is funny, he certainly has a lot more than Mr. Draghi to laugh about. The ECB’s balance sheet stands at roughly 25% of the Eurozone’s Gross Domestic Product; while the BOJ boasts a whopping 78% of Japan’s GDP.
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