Debating Warsh

Kevin Warsh, the probable next Fed chair, wants to lower the federal funds rate sooner rather than later. Few FOMC members agree with him. Ed and Elias don’t either. Today, they explain why Warsh’s case for lower rates is fundamentally flawed. It rests on the economic dogma that, because the labor share of National Income is declining amid an AI-fueled productivity boom, the theoretical neutral federal funds rate, R*, is also declining. On the contrary, explain Ed and Elias, the productivity boom raises R* for reasons unique to the current economic backdrop. That leaves little room for the aggressive rate cuts Warsh envisions without risking speculative bubbles and a financial crisis. Also, the Bond Vigilantes would probably resist Fed easing, as they have since 2024. … Ed reviews “Anniversary” (++).