Sound Money Project
The Sound Money Project was founded in January 2009 to conduct research and promote awareness about monetary stability and financial privacy. The project is comprised of leading academics and practitioners in money, banking, and macroeconomics. It offers regular commentary and in-depth analysis on monetary policy, alternative monetary systems, financial markets regulation, cryptocurrencies, and the history of monetary and macroeconomic thought.
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CBDCs Undermine Financial Privacy
“Financial privacy is very important for a free society. What we do reveals much more about who we are than what we say.” ~William J. Luther
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Inflation Remained Below Target in August
“More cuts are projected for 2025, but not enough to return the stance of monetary policy to neutral.” ~William J. Luther
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Fed Rate Cuts: Better Late than Never
“A 50 basis point cut in its federal funds rate target on Wednesday marks a reversal at the Fed.” ~William J. Luther
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Moderate Inflation Affirms Fed’s Path to Easing
“The Fed should ignore the political noise and follow the data. Central bankers failed to curb inflation, but that doesn’t mean they should deliberately make the opposite mistake now.” ~Alexander W. Salter
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Tax Cryptocurrencies as Money, Not Property
“Treating cryptocurrencies like property for tax purposes discourages people from using them like monies.” ~Gerald Dwyer
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Inflation Slightly Below Target in July
“The federal funds rate target range is likely to be at least a full percentage point lower by the end of the year. That would significantly reduce the distance the Fed needs to travel in order to return monetary policy to neutral.” ~William J. Luther
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Moderate Inflation Returns in July
“To judge whether monetary policy is loose, it is not enough to show that monetary aggregates are growing at historically low rates. What matters is whether the money supply is growing faster than money demand.” ~Alexander W. Salter
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Should Taxpayers Fund a Strategic Bitcoin Reserve?
“Given that the reserve of gold can be viewed only as the federal government holding it for investment purposes, there is no particular reason to focus only on gold and not include other assets, including cryptoassets such as bitcoin.” ~Gerald P. Dwyer
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Competing Narratives on Real Wages
“Democrats want to take credit for the higher real wages. Republicans want to deny that real wages are higher. Both are obscuring the facts.” ~William J. Luther
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There’s Nothing Conservative about Deficits and Debt
“Interest payments now suck up more of the federal budget, leaving less to spend on important political priorities. Since Republicans and Democrats disagree about what those priorities are, the resulting fiscal strain amplifies partisan divisions.” ~Alexander W. Salter
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Should the Fed Get Credit for Lower Inflation?
“Labor market developments cannot explain the decline in nominal spending growth. Tighter monetary policy can… Given the lags of monetary policy, the Fed may have already undershot its target.” ~William J. Luther
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Inflation Remained Low in June
“Despite the progress made on inflation over the last three months, and the risk of overtightening noted by Waller and Powell, the FOMC is unlikely to cut its federal funds rate target next week.” ~William J. Luther
