We’re getting close to the point where I cover the credit crisis in class, and it’s also almost time for March Madness (even if my UCONN Huskies have soiled the matress to the ext thqt they’ll get an early vacation)). So this comes at an ideal time - the Market Meltdown Game. Here’s the article from the American Economic Association Last August, the University of Chicago Magazine asked Allen Sanderson to create an NCAA-like tournament with four regions, brackets and seeded teams

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Market Meltdown Game

Earlier this week, the inspector general for the Troubled Asset Relief Program, a.k.a the bank bailout fund, released his report on the 2008 rescue of the American International Group (AIG), the insurer. The gist of the report is that government officials made no serious attempt to extract concessions from bankers, even though these bankers received huge benefits from the rescue. And more than money was lost

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Nov. 19, 2009: "The Big Squander" by Paul Krugman

In 1966, we built factories, produced and exported goods. The U.S. was the largest creditor nation in the world.

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Zero Hour…

Clearly, one of the great perks of the academic lifestyle is sabbatical or study leave. At UQ, the official designation is Special Studies Program (SSP) — and that’s where I am this semester. We left Brisbane on 1 July (my husband and I arranged our SSP at the same time and visiting in the same place)

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Special Studies Program (SSP)

By Niall Ferguson On Wednesday last week, yields on 10-year US Treasuries — generally seen as the benchmark for long-term interest rates — rose above 3.73%. Once upon a time that would have been considered rather low

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History lesson for economists in thrall to Keynes

One of the hot stories this last week was that the Obama Administration had supposedly pressured and/or threatened hedge fund managers who held Chrysler debt.

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Hedge Fund Manager Clifford Asness Pushes Back At Obama

I’m a flaming extrovert: I strike up conversations with people waiting in line, with the guy (or gal) in the seat across the aisle on planes or trains, and in general with almost anyone I spend some time with. The good thing about this is that I find out a lot about people, and much of it is pretty interesting. Last night, I was on the train, and I started talking with the guy across the aisle

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Marital Insurance

One of the topics in my personal finance course (FINM1401) is Managing Credit. Yesterday I finally got around to listening to the recent EconTalk podcast about credit and bankruptcy

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Managing Credit

Feel like testing your financial planning expertise? Here’s a real-life question I had recently…give it a shot

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Financial Planning Question of the Week