The banks have accounts with the Fed, much the same way that you have an account in a commercial bank. – Ben Bernanke
Rents should begin to decelerate as the demand for owner-occupied housing stabilizes and the supply of rental units increases. – Ben Bernanke
Only a strong economy can create higher asset values and sustainably good returns for savers. – Ben Bernanke
The amount of currency in circulation is not changing. The money supply is not changing in any significant way. – Ben Bernanke
Importantly, in the 1930s, in the Great Depression, the Federal Reserve, despite its mandate, was quite passive and, as a result, financial crisis became very severe, lasted essentially from 1929 to 1933. – Ben Bernanke
I don’t think there are any students who should not be exposed to a basic financial literacy course. – Ben Bernanke
The crisis in Europe has affected the U.S. economy by acting as a drag on our exports, weighing on business and consumer confidence, and pressuring U.S. financial markets and institutions. – Ben Bernanke
Many savers are also homeowners; indeed, a family’s home may be its most important financial asset. Many savers are working, or would like to be. – Ben Bernanke
Income inequality is troubling because, among other things, it means that many people in our society don’t have the opportunities to advance themselves. – Ben Bernanke
To be sure, the provision of liquidity alone can by no means solve the problems of credit risk and credit losses; but it can reduce liquidity premiums, help restore the confidence of investors, and thus promote stability. – Ben Bernanke
Investment banks manage to go bankrupt through their investment-banking activities, commercial banks manage to go bankrupt through their commercial-banking activities. – Ben Bernanke
Market discipline can only limit moral hazard to the extent that debt and equity holders believe that, in the event of distress, they will bear costs. – Ben Bernanke
Imperfect substitutability of assets implies that changes in the supplies of various assets available to private investors may affect the prices and yields of those assets. – Ben Bernanke
If you are not happy with yourself, even the loftiest achievements won’t bring you much satisfaction. – Ben Bernanke
In the future, financial firms of any type whose failure would pose a systemic risk must accept especially close regulatory scrutiny of their risk-taking. – Ben Bernanke
Well, optimism’s a good thing. It – makes people go out and – you know, start businesses and spend and do whatever is necessary to get the economy going. – Ben Bernanke
I generally leave the details of fiscal programs to the Administration and Congress. That’s really their area of authority and responsibility, and I don’t think it’s appropriate for me to second guess. – Ben Bernanke
It’s true that the Federal Reserve faces a lot of political pressure and is unpopular in many circles. – Ben Bernanke
After a long period in which the desired direction for inflation was always downward, the industrialized world’s central banks must today try to avoid major changes in the inflation rate in either direction. – Ben Bernanke
Remember that physical beauty is evolution’s way of assuring us that the other person doesn’t have too many intestinal parasites. – Ben Bernanke
To minimize market uncertainty and achieve the maximum effect of its policies, the Federal Reserve is committed to providing the public as much information as possible about the uses of its balance sheet, plans regarding future uses of its balance sheet, and the criteria on which the relevant decisions are based. – Ben Bernanke
A.I.G. was even larger than Lehman, with a substantial presence in derivatives and debt markets, as well as in insurance markets. – Ben Bernanke
In the future, my communications with the public and with the markets will be entirely through regular and formal channels. – Ben Bernanke
Consumers going through foreclosure typically will see their credit scores drop, raising longer-term questions about their ability to rebound financially and perhaps pursue a more sustainable home purchase at some later point. – Ben Bernanke
Economic engineering is about the design and analysis of frameworks for achieving specific economic objectives. – Ben Bernanke
