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...that the two articles you cite are arguing opposite sides?

The FT is saying that inflation is not a threat and that rates should be kept low.  The Economist says that inflation should be negative and therefore rates should be raised.

FWIW, I'm with the FT.  Raising rates does lower inflation, but at the cost of higher unemployment.  It might return a share of the pie to the wage sector, but at the cost of making the pie smaller.

The ultimate problem is that China's workers are paid much less than their productivity would justify, because China's millions of workers have no bargaining power and no independent unions.  Even Mexican workers (paid $1.50 an hour) can't compete with them.

by tyronen on Tue Nov 22nd, 2005 at 05:15:29 PM EST
The FT article (which, to be clear, is an Op-Ed by an outside writer) does say that inflation is not a threat - and in that it agrees with the Economist; and it also agrees that the danger is an asset price bubble. What it says additionally that the reasons for increasing interest rates today are not those used by the Fed - they should be raised to fight asset bubbles, not to fight inflation. It does not call explicitly for an interest rate hike, but comes damn close to it... so I find the two articles to be coherent.

In the long run, we're all dead. John Maynard Keynes
by Jerome a Paris (etg@eurotrib.com) on Tue Nov 22nd, 2005 at 05:24:33 PM EST
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