Why Do We Print Money?

Printing money seems like a no-brainer. Surely it’s extremely obvious that printing money is a recipe for disaster that will result in hyperinflation. Surely the obvious action is to not print money and therefore avoid inflation. Yet every year, every country prints money. Why? Surely the money supply should be fixed. What possible reason could central banks have for risking massive inflation? Why do we print money? The first and most obvious reason for printing money is to replace old notes in the system. Notes get worn down through use, so it’s necessary to print new ones to replace them. Take a moment to think through why we do this and what would happen if we didn’t. Businesses would start … Continue reading “Why Do We Print Money?”

April 6, 2013EconomicsAustrian Economics, Bernanke, Causes, Central Bank, Economic Theory, Economics, Federal Reserve, Hyperinflation, Inflation, Libertarian, Monetary Policy, Printing Money, Quantitative Easing, War Leave a comment