Sign in

clintballinger.bsky.social

@clintballinger.bsky.social
551 followers 1.4K following 340 posts

(Short) book: app.thestorygraph.com/books/1f999e8… Some random thoughts on economics clintballinger.wordpress.com

PostsRepliesMedia
clintballinger.bsky.social @clintballinger.bsky.social · 10/09/2026
“The US and UK are the exceptions- economies whose unique external position creates a real (real resource) constraint that the vigilante narrative accidentally tracks through a completely wrong mechanism.” clintballinger.substack.com/p/bond-vigil...
clintballinger.substack.com
Bond Vigilantes: Why the US and UK are the anomalies, and why this makes the finance press wrong about, well, basically everything
The bond vigilante debate survives because it confuses three fundamentally different constraints.
011
clintballinger.bsky.social @clintballinger.bsky.social · 10/09/2026
“The US and UK are the exceptions- economies whose unique external position creates a real (real resource) constraint that the vigilante narrative accidentally tracks through a completely wrong mechanism.” clintballinger.substack.com/p/bond-vigil...
clintballinger.substack.com
Bond Vigilantes: Why the US and UK are the anomalies, and why this makes the finance press wrong about, well, basically everything
The bond vigilante debate survives because it confuses three fundamentally different constraints.
010
clintballinger.bsky.social @clintballinger.bsky.social · 10/09/2026
A General Analytical Framework for the Analysis of Currencies and Other Commodities moslereconomics.com/mandatory-re...
000
clintballinger.bsky.social @clintballinger.bsky.social · 10/09/2026
Higher sovereign yields for a country financing imports through exported sovereign claims are the international analogue of domestic inflation
100
Reposted by @clintballinger.bsky.social
clintballinger.bsky.social @clintballinger.bsky.social · 08/09/2026
Bond Vigilantes: Why the US and UK are the anomalies, and why this makes the finance press wrong about, well, basically everything clintballinger.substack.com/p/bond-vigil...
clintballinger.substack.com
Bond Vigilantes: Why the US and UK are the anomalies, and why this makes the finance press wrong about, well, basically everything
The bond vigilante debate survives because it confuses three fundamentally different constraints.
022
clintballinger.bsky.social @clintballinger.bsky.social · 08/09/2026
Bond Vigilantes: Why the US and UK are the anomalies, and why this makes the finance press wrong about, well, basically everything clintballinger.substack.com/p/bond-vigil...
clintballinger.substack.com
Bond Vigilantes: Why the US and UK are the anomalies, and why this makes the finance press wrong about, well, basically everything
The bond vigilante debate survives because it confuses three fundamentally different constraints.
022
Reposted by @clintballinger.bsky.social
clintballinger.bsky.social @clintballinger.bsky.social · 27/11/2025
"It's Time to Nuke the Bond Market" 'The government sustains the vigilantes' new-wayland.com/blog/nuke-th...
new-wayland.com
It's Time to Nuke the Bond Market
Why sovereign democracies must dismantle the mythology of ‘bond vigilantes’ to restore political agency
001
clintballinger.bsky.social @clintballinger.bsky.social · 31/08/2026
The negative carry of gold would reduce balance-of-trade issues. Automatically w no supranational interest-rate or other bureaucratic rules (domestic interest rates & FX would still 100% float, unlike Keynes’ Bancor/ICU & subsequent proposals). AND greatly reduce financialization
011
clintballinger.bsky.social @clintballinger.bsky.social · 31/08/2026
Kathleen Tyson & Michael Hudson Moderator: Nika Dubrovsky michael-hudson.com/2026/07/gold... [at int’l level, no global fisc so no global tax-credit; using 1 country’s liabilities causes hyperfinancialization, guarantees global imbalance. Plus gold has no administered rate; helps w domestic ZIRP]
111
Reposted by @clintballinger.bsky.social
clintballinger.bsky.social @clintballinger.bsky.social · 30/08/2026
I wonder whether it will take years or decades before it’s understood all the many reasons why the domestic settlement asset should not pay interest, and the international settlement asset should 1) be no country’s liability and 2) also pay no interest
022
clintballinger.bsky.social @clintballinger.bsky.social · 30/08/2026
I wonder whether it will take years or decades before it’s understood all the many reasons why the domestic settlement asset should not pay interest, and the international settlement asset should 1) be no country’s liability and 2) also pay no interest
022
Reposted by @clintballinger.bsky.social
clintballinger.bsky.social @clintballinger.bsky.social · 29/08/2026
“Modern money theory on fiscal and monetary policies” [full text] www.elgaronline.com/configurable...
elgaronline.com
001
clintballinger.bsky.social @clintballinger.bsky.social · 29/08/2026
“Modern money theory on fiscal and monetary policies” [full text] www.elgaronline.com/configurable...
elgaronline.com
001
clintballinger.bsky.social @clintballinger.bsky.social · 27/08/2026
120
clintballinger.bsky.social @clintballinger.bsky.social · 27/08/2026
A Night Watchman Finance State clintballinger.substack.com/p/a-night-wa...
clintballinger.substack.com
A Night Watchman Finance State
Imagine a group of people decide to organize a Night Watchman State.
011
Reposted by @clintballinger.bsky.social
clintballinger.bsky.social @clintballinger.bsky.social · 22/08/2026
"So what happens when a neutral supranational unit is proposed? There is no global fisc, so there can be no global tax-credit. A supranational currency therefore cannot simply reproduce the domestic chartalist mechanism at a larger scale." clintballinger.substack.com/p/pegs-liabi...
clintballinger.substack.com
Pegs, Liabilities, and Administered Rates: Why International Monetary Reform Keeps Failing
The previous prologue on “International Monetary System Reform” considered some common types of proposals (SDR-type supranational neutral currencies, multipolarity, or multipolarity via swap lines) an...
112
clintballinger.bsky.social @clintballinger.bsky.social · 22/08/2026
"So what happens when a neutral supranational unit is proposed? There is no global fisc, so there can be no global tax-credit. A supranational currency therefore cannot simply reproduce the domestic chartalist mechanism at a larger scale." clintballinger.substack.com/p/pegs-liabi...
clintballinger.substack.com
Pegs, Liabilities, and Administered Rates: Why International Monetary Reform Keeps Failing
The previous prologue on “International Monetary System Reform” considered some common types of proposals (SDR-type supranational neutral currencies, multipolarity, or multipolarity via swap lines) an...
112
Reposted by @clintballinger.bsky.social
clintballinger.bsky.social @clintballinger.bsky.social · 22/08/2026
More on "An Indecent Proposal." clintballinger.substack.com/p/pegs-liabi...
clintballinger.substack.com
Pegs, Liabilities, and Administered Rates: Why International Monetary Reform Keeps Failing
The previous prologue on “International Monetary System Reform” considered some common types of proposals (SDR-type supranational neutral currencies, multipolarity, or multipolarity via swap lines) an...
012
clintballinger.bsky.social @clintballinger.bsky.social · 22/08/2026
More on "An Indecent Proposal." clintballinger.substack.com/p/pegs-liabi...
clintballinger.substack.com
Pegs, Liabilities, and Administered Rates: Why International Monetary Reform Keeps Failing
The previous prologue on “International Monetary System Reform” considered some common types of proposals (SDR-type supranational neutral currencies, multipolarity, or multipolarity via swap lines) an...
012
Reposted by @clintballinger.bsky.social
Nathan Tankus @nathantankus.bsky.social · 17/08/2026
This is a very useful and high level conversation @clintballinger.bsky.social dug out from twitter between @devikadutt.bsky.social and I
0123
Reposted by @clintballinger.bsky.social
clintballinger.bsky.social @clintballinger.bsky.social · 17/08/2026
"International Monetary System Reform Prologue: Some Useful Observations/Framing of Issues by Nathan Tankus & Discussion w Devika Dutt (2020)" clintballinger.substack.com/p/internatio...
clintballinger.substack.com
International Monetary System Reform
Prologue: Some Useful Observations/Framing of Issues by Nathan Tankus & Discussion w Devika Dutt (2020)
012
clintballinger.bsky.social @clintballinger.bsky.social · 17/08/2026
"International Monetary System Reform Prologue: Some Useful Observations/Framing of Issues by Nathan Tankus & Discussion w Devika Dutt (2020)" clintballinger.substack.com/p/internatio...
clintballinger.substack.com
International Monetary System Reform
Prologue: Some Useful Observations/Framing of Issues by Nathan Tankus & Discussion w Devika Dutt (2020)
012
Reposted by @clintballinger.bsky.social
clintballinger.bsky.social @clintballinger.bsky.social · 13/08/2026
The Yen Intervention: Two Design Failures Exposed in One Week clintballinger.substack.com/p/the-yen-in...
clintballinger.substack.com
The Yen Intervention: Two Design Failures, Exposed in One Week
The yen hit a 40-year low.
001
clintballinger.bsky.social @clintballinger.bsky.social · 13/08/2026
The Yen Intervention: Two Design Failures Exposed in One Week clintballinger.substack.com/p/the-yen-in...
clintballinger.substack.com
The Yen Intervention: Two Design Failures, Exposed in One Week
The yen hit a 40-year low.
001
Reposted by @clintballinger.bsky.social
clintballinger.bsky.social @clintballinger.bsky.social · 06/07/2026
Decomposing the international monetary system into clearing, contracting, and settlement makes some classic “economic puzzles” make more sense. Also unifies MMT, mainstream, and hierarchy of currencies literature clintballinger.substack.com/p/the-settle... #econsky
clintballinger.substack.com
The Settlement Architecture of Global Finance: Why International Monetary Puzzles Share a Common Cause
The international monetary system performs contracting and clearing well, but final settlement functions differently than in domestic economies: instead of extinguishing liabilities it transfers them ...
111
Reposted by @clintballinger.bsky.social
clintballinger.bsky.social @clintballinger.bsky.social · 15/07/2026
Economists routinely analyze sovereign balance sheets. They also understand that taxes provide the fiscal sink that ultimately extinguishes liabilities in domestic monetary systems. Surprisingly, these two ideas were not brought together in the analysis of international settlement,
101
clintballinger.bsky.social @clintballinger.bsky.social · 15/07/2026
Economists routinely analyze sovereign balance sheets. They also understand that taxes provide the fiscal sink that ultimately extinguishes liabilities in domestic monetary systems. Surprisingly, these two ideas were not brought together in the analysis of international settlement,
101
clintballinger.bsky.social @clintballinger.bsky.social · 15/07/2026
After Mundell and Goodhart: The International Settlement Question clintballinger.substack.com/p/after-mund... #econsky
clintballinger.substack.com
After Mundell and Goodhart: The International Settlement Question
Robert Mundell’s A Theory of Optimum Currency Areas (1961) established one of the defining questions of modern international macroeconomics: where should monetary policy be located?
021
clintballinger.bsky.social @clintballinger.bsky.social · 15/07/2026
After Mundell and Goodhart: The International Settlement Question open.substack.com/pub/clintbal...
open.substack.com
After Mundell and Goodhart: The International Settlement Question
Robert Mundell’s A Theory of Optimum Currency Areas (1961) established one of the defining questions of modern international macroeconomics: where should monetary policy be located?
011
clintballinger.bsky.social @clintballinger.bsky.social · 06/07/2026
Decomposing the international monetary system into clearing, contracting, and settlement makes some classic “economic puzzles” make more sense. Also unifies MMT, mainstream, and hierarchy of currencies literature clintballinger.substack.com/p/the-settle... #econsky
clintballinger.substack.com
The Settlement Architecture of Global Finance: Why International Monetary Puzzles Share a Common Cause
The international monetary system performs contracting and clearing well, but final settlement functions differently than in domestic economies: instead of extinguishing liabilities it transfers them ...
111
Reposted by @clintballinger.bsky.social
clintballinger.bsky.social @clintballinger.bsky.social · 06/07/2026
“MMT, the mainstream (and the hierarchy of currencies literature) are not contradicting one another here. They have each identified important aspects of the same system, but at different layers.” open.substack.com/pub/clintbal...
open.substack.com
The Settlement Architecture of Global Finance: Why International Monetary Puzzles Share a Common Cause
The international monetary system performs contracting and clearing well, but final settlement functions differently than in domestic economies: instead of extinguishing liabilities it transfers them ...
012
clintballinger.bsky.social @clintballinger.bsky.social · 06/07/2026
“MMT, the mainstream (and the hierarchy of currencies literature) are not contradicting one another here. They have each identified important aspects of the same system, but at different layers.” open.substack.com/pub/clintbal...
open.substack.com
The Settlement Architecture of Global Finance: Why International Monetary Puzzles Share a Common Cause
The international monetary system performs contracting and clearing well, but final settlement functions differently than in domestic economies: instead of extinguishing liabilities it transfers them ...
012
Reposted by @clintballinger.bsky.social
clintballinger.bsky.social @clintballinger.bsky.social · 05/07/2026
The Settlement Architecture of Global Finance: Why International Monetary Puzzles Share a Common Cause clintballinger.substack.com/p/the-settle... #econsky
clintballinger.substack.com
The Settlement Architecture of Global Finance: Why International Monetary Puzzles Share a Common Cause
The international monetary system performs contracting and clearing well, but final settlement functions differently than in domestic economies: instead of extinguishing liabilities it transfers them ...
011
clintballinger.bsky.social @clintballinger.bsky.social · 05/07/2026
The Settlement Architecture of Global Finance: Why International Monetary Puzzles Share a Common Cause clintballinger.substack.com/p/the-settle... #econsky
clintballinger.substack.com
The Settlement Architecture of Global Finance: Why International Monetary Puzzles Share a Common Cause
The international monetary system performs contracting and clearing well, but final settlement functions differently than in domestic economies: instead of extinguishing liabilities it transfers them ...
011
clintballinger.bsky.social @clintballinger.bsky.social · 18/06/2026
It’s either ZIRP or this. Take you pick
000
clintballinger.bsky.social @clintballinger.bsky.social · 18/06/2026
MMT shows money is chartal: taxes create demand. But there's no global tax authority. That's the fundamental int’l money problem- & why EVERY suggestion automatically reverts to idea needs to be “backed” & thus pegs. Pegs were ALWAYS the problem. But if no global tax…then what?
021
clintballinger.bsky.social @clintballinger.bsky.social · 17/06/2026
An Indecent Proposal How to Complete Chartalism and End the International Dollar System On Pegs, Rates, Governance, and the Only International Monetary System That Avoids All Three open.substack.com/pub/clintbal...
open.substack.com
An Indecent Proposal: How to Complete Chartalism and End the International Dollar System
On Pegs, Rates, Governance, and the Only International Monetary System That Avoids All Three
012
clintballinger.bsky.social @clintballinger.bsky.social · 16/06/2026
open.substack.com/pub/geochart...
open.substack.com
The Nobel Laureate Who Predicted MMT — And the Profession That Pretended He Hadn't
28 years ago, a Nobel laureate published — in the journal of record of American science — the operational refutation of fiscal-policy orthodoxy that MMT would later be called "heterodox" for restating
021
Reposted by @clintballinger.bsky.social
clintballinger.bsky.social @clintballinger.bsky.social · 13/06/2026
Imagine a world with: -universal Fed-style swap access, -automatic liquidity provision, -no sanctions risk, -guaranteed trade settlement, -robust international legal institutions. How many reserves would countries want? Probably far fewer.
132
clintballinger.bsky.social @clintballinger.bsky.social · 14/06/2026
A six-word clause from 1935, written to address that era's specific banking politics, became the foundation on which a century of monetary theory, deficit orthodoxy, and financialization was constructed
110
clintballinger.bsky.social @clintballinger.bsky.social · 14/06/2026
6 little words in the Banking Act of 1935 - These force the system that confuses the public, even the highly curious/educated public, and many/(most) economists, into profoundly misunderstanding the system we have. Accounting shakes out to OMF, but appearace radically deceiving
000
clintballinger.bsky.social @clintballinger.bsky.social · 13/06/2026
Why does the world hold $12 trillion in reserves? Not because of prudent central banking, but because the international dollar system lacks a standing, unconditional settlement backstop. Countries cannot rely on automatic access to dollar liquidity, so they self-insure by
110
clintballinger.bsky.social @clintballinger.bsky.social · 13/06/2026
Imagine a world with: -universal Fed-style swap access, -automatic liquidity provision, -no sanctions risk, -guaranteed trade settlement, -robust international legal institutions. How many reserves would countries want? Probably far fewer.
132
clintballinger.bsky.social @clintballinger.bsky.social · 12/06/2026
More fundamentally: Publicly created privileges should be conditional on public obligations.
000
clintballinger.bsky.social @clintballinger.bsky.social · 11/06/2026
Mainstream Macroeconomics assumptions repeatedly require a neutral rate concept. So monetary economics repeatedly invents one. The idea that there must exist some interest-rate benchmark coordinating the system is never abandoned:
100
clintballinger.bsky.social @clintballinger.bsky.social · 11/06/2026
Zero is what safe assets cost when you've actually made them safe
000
Reposted by @clintballinger.bsky.social
clintballinger.bsky.social @clintballinger.bsky.social · 09/06/2026
Functionally, r* is a metaphysical substitute for gold #econsky
022
clintballinger.bsky.social @clintballinger.bsky.social · 09/06/2026
Functionally, r* is a metaphysical substitute for gold #econsky
022
clintballinger.bsky.social @clintballinger.bsky.social · 26/05/2026
“let me reassure you that I have discussed this with bond traders, central bankers & more than a few financial economists, and these conversations have always ended with them agreeing that in principle the bond market is an anachronism which we do not need open.substack.com/pub/stevenha... #econsky
151
clintballinger.bsky.social @clintballinger.bsky.social · 26/05/2026
“Let me share with you what it is like to step into the mainstream economics department of a university and give a talk about modern monetary theory.” open.substack.com/pub/stevenha... #econsky
151