From ex-Presidents to ex-Fed Chairmen
They all just keep on talking these days, long after their official roles have ended. Bloomberg:
Former Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan said there’s a “one-third probability” of a U.S. recession this year and that the current expansion won’t have the staying power of its decade-long predecessor.
“We are in the sixth year of a recovery; imbalances can emerge as a result,” Greenspan, 81, said in an interview yesterday at his office in downtown Washington. “Ten-year recoveries have been part of a much broader global phenomenon. The historically normal business cycle is much shorter” and is likely to be this time, he added.
Greenspan’s outlook contrasts with the prediction of his successor Ben S. Bernanke, who told Congress last week that the economy may strengthen this year. Bernanke’s upbeat assessment helped steady stock markets on Feb. 28 after a plunge the day before that some traders attribute partly to Greenspan’s musing that a recession couldn’t be ruled out…”It is possible that we can have a recession at the end of this year,” said Greenspan…
Maybe everyone should revert to the former practice of keeping mum after retirment.
