Macroeconomics

The financial crisis of 2008 has caused macroeconomists to rethink monetary and fiscal policies. Economists, financial experts, and government policy makers are victims of what former Fed chairman Alan Greenspan called a “once in a century credit tsunami”—in other words, nobody saw it coming.

Because you are now the expert in macroeconomics, your friends keep asking you your thoughts on what caused the financial crisis and whether the United States is going in the right or wrong direction with its current policies.

Focus specifically on the following:

Monetary policy
What monetary policies do you think caused the crisis?
What were the effects of the policies implemented in reaction to the crisis?
Do you think the solutions worked in the short term? In the long term?
Fiscal policies
What fiscal policies do you think caused the crisis?
What were the effects of the fiscal policies implemented in reaction to the crisis?
Do you think the solutions worked in the short term? In the long term?

Make sure you include the following concepts in your analysis:

Interest rates
GSAs
The financial services industries (CDOs, CMOs, the stock market, credit flows, money markets, etc.)
Tax rebates
Aggregate demand
Stimulus
TARP
Government debt and deficit
Inflation
Unemployment
GDP
Globalization
Foreign investment

In your opinion, did government intervention help or harm the economy before and after the panic of 2008? Would you have done anything differently?
Make sure you use research to back up your argument.

Objective:
Explain the concepts of supply and demand.
Describe the concept of macroeconomic equilibrium.
Discuss how aggregate demand and aggregate supply determine equilibrium price and output in the short-run and long-run.
Describe the concepts and measurement of gross domestic product, unemployment, and inflation.
Explain what is meant by business cycles and economic growth and describe the factors that contribute to each.
Discuss the multiplier concept, how it is computed, its qualifications, and its limitations.
Describe and illustrate the concepts, tools, and implementation of fiscal policy.
Demonstrate understanding of macroeconomics through the discussion of contemporary economic issues.