Economics Final Review: Crash, Macro Policy and Globalization

I. banking - TRUST ME

- competitive incentives in private sector

- collateral, credit rating, default, bankruptcy

- Federal Reserve and fractional reserve system, FDIC

II. venture capital and private equity

- kickstarter, the nanny effect, hot growth sectors, Chindia, BRIC

III. stock and bond markets

- bond terms, ratings and yields

- IPO incentives, due diligence, limited liability

- what makes stocks change value?

- bubbles, risk tolerance, mature markets, bear market, bull market

- herd psychology, P/E ratio

- Dow, S&P 500, NASDAQ, NYSE, SEC

- funds - managed and indexed

- stock case studies: Apple, AIG, Berkshire Hathaway, Facebook, Exxon Mobil

IV. typical return on investment: bank deposit AAA bond ___ stock market index ___

V. The Crash

A. mortgage markets and black swans

- prime rate and subprime mortgages, ARM

- collateralized debt obligations (CDO's), rating agencies, credit default swaps

- institutional investors, hedge funds

- HON - "magic of securitization," quants

B. chart a path from prime rate CDO's to investment bank crisis to Great Recession 2008

- whose fault was it? drank their own kool-aid?

- why was foreclosure crisis everybody's problem? (vicious cycles diagram)

- Meltdown details:

- Bear Stearns > Fannie Mae/Freddie Mac > Lehman Brothers > AIG > TARP> ARRA

- Bernanke, Paulson, Geithner, Lew, Bush, Obama

- moral hazard and systemic risk

VI. Monetary and Fiscal Policy

A. measures of economic health - define and recognize desirable values

- productivity

- inflation

- employment

B. monetary tools - Fed, expansionary and contractionary policy

- commercial bank interest rates

- Treasury bond sales/purchases [HON: quantitative easing]

- moral suasion

C. Crash and Recession policies: stimulus/recovery package and bailouts

- leadership roles: Obama, Geithner, Lews, Bernanke

- Paulson's TARP

- Obama's ARRA - (Keynes lives!)

- future deficits and debts

- entitlement tsunami - Medicare drivers: demographics, health care costs

- Republicans v Democrats 2013 - shutdown!

- how does a bill become a law? who controls each stage?

- Affordable Care Act / Obamacare

- Boehner, Ryan and Rep priorities - less long term debt, short term spending cuts

- Obama, McConnell and Dem priorities - short term recession recovery

- long term - "balanced" revenue and spending

VII. Globalization

A. wealth and poverty factors

- production factors, cultural priorities, history [HON - colonialism]

- Smith, Marx and Keynes in global context - role of gov't, class interest

B. globalized supply and demand concepts

- opportunity cost and comparative advantage

- use supply and demand curve to predict/describe trade impact: ANTIE PINE

- Chimerica and Walmart case study

- balance of trade, Shenzhen, Smithfield

- HON: currency devaluation

- where do gains from efficiency go?

- Clinton, WTO, dumping, "level playing field"

- [HON -Friedman - flat, hot and crowded]

- US and comparative advantage policies - "ecosystems for innovation"

- "do your homework, someone in India wants your job"

- Koerner's thesis

- protectionism - why/not use law/taxes to protect your local suppliers?

- HON: Bastiat's candlemakers

C. black swans for 2013 - what does resilience require?

D. history of development economics

- imperialism - infrastructure for the empire, trade wars and Great Depression

- public sector financing - IMF, World Bank, import substitution

- neoliberalism - structural adjustment and austerity, privatization, free trade

- community based development - microcredit, cooperatives and local accountability

- 2013: neoliberals vs skeptics - rehearse the best arguments