Charles Calomiris, an economist at Columbia University, said the following about the initiatives of the Treasury and the Fed during the financial crisis of 2007-2009: It has been a really head-spinning range of unprecedented and bold actions.That is exactly as it should be. But I’m not saying that it’s without some cost and without some risk.â€
1) What was unprecedented about the Treasury and the Fed’s actions? What risks did these actions involve?
2) Do you think that the Fed’s actions should be head-spinning†(i.e. suprising), or do you think they should be predictable? Explain.