Includes “The idea that the Bank of Canada can continue to finance government debt by printing money without a clear commitment to repayment, known as Modern Monetary Theory (MMT), poses enormous risks to the Canadian economy, finds a new study released today by the Fraser Institute, an independent, non-partisan, Canadian public policy think-tank. ”

By Robert Wenzel, includes “This has to be a first for a United States Treasury Secretary. … There was no word on whether the Pope was taking notes.”

By Diwa Guinigungo, includes “This monstrosity descended from the AFP-Retirement and Separation Benefits System (AFP-RSBS) during martial law. … AFP-RSBS failed to be a self-sustaining pension system. It was subsequently deactivated.”

By Graham Lane, includes “… It is using an old government ’accounting game’, it’s so-called ‘rainy day fund’, via something called the Manitoba Bridge Grant program."

By Ian Ball, Dag Detter, Yannis Manuelides, and Wang Yen, includes “In thinking about the links between fiscal policy and bond markets, the focus has tended to be on debt.”

By Robert Wenzel, includes “The joint World Bank, IMF spring meetings are taking place this week. … The conversation was themed, ‘Economic Recovery: Toward a Green, Resilient, and Inclusive Future.”

By Scott Morris, includes “… Which raises the question, why aren’t more of these contracts made public? And not just Chinese contracts. The uncomfortable truth is that citizens in virtually any creditor or debtor country would have a very hard time tracking down their government’s debt contracts.”

By Richard Carroll, includes “Historically, sovereign wealth funds have been passive investors in the world economy. That appears to be changing. Sovereign wealth funds are now becoming more proactive in investing in equities, bonds, and real estate worldwide.”

By James Ball, includes “… It’s a shame, then, that so often in politics – especially in the week of a budget – we start talking about government finances as if they work like a household budget…. For a household, budgeting is about accounting: making sure what’s going out (bills, rent or mortgage, debt repayments and so on) is, ideally, less than what’s coming in. But for a government, it’s really a matter of economics – when your actions can affect the whole economy of the country you manage, concentrating on the spreadsheets and the accounting can cost you far, far more than it saves.”

Letters to the editor, including one by Malcolm Parkin that includes “… Common sense says we can never now repay or even reduce the national debt, and history proves we don’t have to, as it has risen from £350 billion in 1997 to £2000bn in 2020.”