BizJournals Portfolio
Home >   Business Views, Opinions and Blogs >   Business Blogs >   Market Movers >  

In Which I Envy Brad Delongs Lunch

Market Movers

by Yves Smith and Felix Salmon
Main
BofA Threatens to Sue ABN for Three Gazillion Dollars   Larry Summers on Cap-and-Trade

Recent Blog Posts

Links

Apr 30 2007 12:00am EDT

In Which I Envy Brad DeLong's Lunch

I always thought the center of the universe was the corner of Broadway and Houston, in Manhattan. I was wrong. If you're an economist, at least, the center of the universe would seem to have been found at the corner of College and Bancroft, in Berkeley, at noon Pacific Time today.

On the one hand, one aspires to being a part of lunchtime conversations such as this one; on the other hand, one would be so intimidated that one would probably be far too scared to even open one's mouth. Maybe there are reasons to study economics after all.

"So if Britain with its structural trade surpluses could run up net foreign assets equal to twenty months' GDP by 1913, could the U.S. run up a net foreign liability balance equal to twenty months' GDP by 2023?"
"By symmetry, that would mean that the rest of the world would have to play the role of pre-World War I Britain. Yes, it could happen."
"And somebody would have to play the role of pre-World War I Argentina. Would that be the U.S?"
"Usually in international finance the role of Argentina is played by Argentina."

blog comments powered by Disqus
Real Business, Real Results
Out of the 'Family'

Did anyone at Microsoft ever watch the (gasp!) offensively funny show Family Guy?

Cruz Missile Lands

Ex-Morgan Stanley exec Zoe Cruz is now heading her own hedge fund. Are Wall Street's leaders done?

Scandal Chic

Martha, Bernie and Skilling know that what you wear for court can go a long way in public perception.

spotlight on

Health Care

Bad to the Bone No More

Companies such as General Mills say they're stepping up efforts to change employees' bad behavior and promote healthier lifestyles. Read More