Stimulus

Goldman Sachs To Federal Reserve: Boost The Economy Already

Brian Beutler | October 17, 2011, 2:50PM

Economists and monetary policy wonks have been screaming about this for months -- sometimes at each other. Now economists at investment giant Goldman Sachs are on board. In a proprietary analysis for clients, Goldman economists Jan Hatzius and Sven Jari Stehn say the Federal Reserve should announce publicly that it will pursue a bit of inflation, and make good on that goal with looser monetary policy -- a new round of so-called "Quantitative Easing."

From the analysis: "[W]e believe that the Fed's most promising option for delivering significant further policy easing would be a shift to a nominal GDP level target coupled with large-scale asset purchases.

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Debt Ceiling

CHART OF THE DAY: Goldman Says Debt Limit 'Plan B' Would Be A Big Deal

Brian Beutler | July 18, 2011, 5:45AM

Wall Street

Little noticed amid dire warnings from Wall Street, and increasing cacophony on Capitol Hill, the investment giant Goldman Sachs issued a report late last week concluding that even if Congress passes a relatively small budget deal when they raise the debt limit, it will still be a promising indication to investors that the U.S. fiscal trajectory will improve over the coming decade.

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Ethics

WH Not Sweating Greg Craig's New Role Defending Goldman

Christina Bellantoni | April 20, 2010, 6:18PM

President Barack Obama and White House Counsel Gregory Craig

As far as the White House is concerned, it's case closed for Greg Craig's newest legal venture representing Goldman Sachs against the Securities and Exchange Commission. Administration spokesmen brushed aside questions about whether it was improper for Goldman to hire Craig, who served as Obama's chief counsel for nearly a year before leaving due to the handling of the Guantanamo Bay closure.

The president's ethics rules ban any former staffers from working on issues that may conflict for two years after they leave, and Craig falls squarely under that rule.

Reporters on Air Force One this afternoon asked deputy White House Press Secretary Bill Burton whether the move was a violation of the president's revolving door ethics policy. Burton said the White House wasn't consulted about the position and declined to offer any hints as to how Obama feels about Craig's project.

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