John Paulson & Joseph Stiglitz: massive mispricing

Video discussion featuring John Paulson (Paulson & Co. hedge fund chief) and economist Joseph Stiglitz discussing the "massive mispricing" of mortgage backed assets during the real estate bubble. Hat tip to Street Capitalist.

Surprisingly, Paulson makes the claim that government had nothing to do with the conditions that fueled the mortgage finance & securitization bubble. He also says that the government "had to step in" to prop up the banking system due to fears of systemic collapse.

This opinion is in stark contrast to our view, and that of most other Austrian-school thinkers. Simply stated, the easy money and credit conditions which primed this real estate bubble would not have been available without government or central bank interference in the market for interest rates.

The widely held notion of this latest boom-bust cycle as a "free-market failure" is incorrect. It should instead be recognized for what it is: a failure of US monetary policy.

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1. Excellent timing: John Paulson - Finance Trends

2. John Paulson in Bloomberg Markets - Finance Trends

3. John Paulson, hedge funds move into gold - Finance Trends