Alan Greenspan Quotes (280 Quotes)

The Federal Reserve has been unable to find any credible purpose for the huge balance sheets built by Fannie and Freddie other than the creation of profit through the exploitation of the market-granted subsidy,

The demand for new computer applications will no doubt continue to spur demand for those with the creativity and the higher-level conceptual skills that will enable us to increasingly harness technology to produce greater economic value,

Although the business cycle has not disappeared, flexibility has made the economy more resilient to shocks and more stable overall during the past couple of decades,

Although layoffs seem to be diminishing, surveys indicate that households continue to be worried about the condition of labor markets,

one of the most successful government agencies in history.

The current surge in oil prices, though noticeable, is likely to prove significantly less consequential to economic growth and inflation than the surge in the 1970s,

The very few times which we have intervened have occurred, ... when we believe the markets are unstable and that intervention might have an impact.

I would strongly suggest that, while there is an obvious strongly desired sense to move rapidly, it's far more important to be right than quick,

Over most of the past several years, the behavior of unit labor costs has been quite subdued, ... But those costs have turned up of late, and whether the favorable trends of the past few years will be maintained is unclear.

I find it difficult to find rational arguments for that particular initiative,

Roger was the major policy maker during 911.

Our judgment is that the level of consumption growth...will slow down, and the dramatic expansion in capital investment will slow down, ... Something will eventually change the pattern, but there are a number of different ways that can happen.

With production running well below sales, the lift to income and spending from the inevitable cessation of inventory liquidation could be significant,

The economy suffered significant shocks in late summer and early autumn,

Firms still appear hesitant to spend and hire, and we need to remain mindful of the possibility that lingering business caution could be an impediment to improved economic performance,

The rate of growth of productivity cannot increase indefinitely, ... While there appears to be considerable expectation in the business community, and possibly Wall Street, that the productivity acceleration has not yet peaked, experience advises caution.

Issuance of equity and of bonds by lower-rated corporations has come virtually to a halt -- even investment-grade companies have cut back substantially on their borrowings,

While actual CPI inflation has picked up this year, this rise has not been mirrored uniformly in other broad price measures,

We are very firm in the notion that this country should not visit the 1970s again in the way of inflation,

Over the past decade, the U.S. economy has benefited from a remarkable acceleration of productivity. But experience suggests that such rapid advances are unlikely to be maintained in an economy that has reached the cutting edge of technology.

In the absence of the gold standard, there is no way to protect savings from confiscation through inflation. There is no safe store of value.

We need to recognize that we really do not know the answer for this immediate period.

These products could be cause for some concern both because they expose borrowers to more interest-rate and house-price risk than the standard 30-year, fixed-rate mortgage and because they are seen as vehicles that enable marginally qualified, highly leveraged borrowers to purchase homes at inflated prices,

Faster economic growth, doubtless, would make deficits far easier to contain. But faster economic growth alone is not likely to be the full solution to currently projected long-term deficits.

The Fed policy-making committee is of the view... that monetary policy accommodation can be removed at a pace that is likely to be measured,

We have a very special mission. We are in charge of the nation's currency and the central bank, because of that, is involved in everyone's daily lives. We are the guardians of their purchasing power.

As the value of assets and liabilities have risen relative to income, we have been confronted with the potential for our economies to exhibit larger and perhaps more abrupt responses to changes in factors affecting the balance sheets of households and businesses,

The United States is currently in its ninth year of economic expansion, an exemplary accomplishment by any standard. Growth of output has remained vigorous, unemployment is lower than it has been in nearly thirty years, and yet, despite the tautness in labor markets, there have been no obvious signs of emerging inflation pressures,

If we can maintain an adequate degree of flexibility, some of America 's economic imbalances, most notably the large current account deficit and the housing boom, can be rectified by adjustments in prices, interest rates, and exchange rates rather than through more-wrenching changes in output, incomes, and employment.

There are sound reasons for concluding that the long-run picture remains bright ... but I would emphasize that we continue to face significant risks in the near term,