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We may be in a rapidly evolving international financial system with all the bells and whistles of the so-called new economy. But the old-economy rules of prudence are as formidable as ever. We violate them at our own peril.

Alan Greenspan

How do we know when irrational exuberance has unduly escalated asset values?
ALAN GREENSPAN

Escalate Exuberance Irrational Unduly Value
The problem is not lack of regulation but unrealistic expectations. What we confront in reality is uncertainty, some of it frighteningly so…
ALAN GREENSPAN

Confront Expectation Frightened Lack Problem Regulation Unrealistic
If you get beyond the political rhetoric [and assembled a group to solve Social Security] it would take them 15 minutes. It would take them 15 minutes only because 10 minutes was used for pleasantries.
ALAN GREENSPAN

Group Minute Pleasantries Political Rhetoric Security Solve
Even though some down payments are borrowed, it would take a large, and historically most unusual, fall in home prices to wipe out a significant part of home equity.
ALAN GREENSPAN

Borrow Down Equity Historical Payment Significant Some Unusual Wipe
The true measure of a career is to be able to be content, even proud, that you succeeded through your own endeavors without leaving a trail of casualties in your wake.
ALAN GREENSPAN

Able Content Leave Measure Own Succeeded True
But how do we know when irrational exuberance has unduly escalated asset values, which then become subject to unexpected and prolonged contractions as they have in Japan over the past decade?
ALAN GREENSPAN

Country Decade Escalate Irrational Past Subject
The very nature of finance is that it cannot be profitable unless it is significantly leveraged… and as long as there is debt, there can be failure and contagion.
ALAN GREENSPAN

Failure Finance Leverage Nature Significantly Unless Very
Stripped of its academic jargon, the welfare state is nothing more than a mechanism by which governments confiscate the wealth of the productive members of a society to support a wide variety of welfare schemes.
ALAN GREENSPAN

Academic Government Jargon Mechanism More Nothing Scheme State Strip Support Welfare
I’ve always argued that this country has benefited immensely from the fact that we draw people from all over the world.
ALAN GREENSPAN

All Always Argue Benefited Country Draw Fact Immensely Over People World
I love facts and figures. It’s like following a detective story, piecing together what’s going on in the economy.
ALAN GREENSPAN

Detective Economy Fact Follow Love Piece Story Together
Gold, unlike all other commodities, is a currency…and the major thrust in the demand for gold is not for jewelry.
ALAN GREENSPAN

Commodity Currency Demand God Gold Jewelry Thrust Unlike
Everyone has one. You have to, to exist you need an ideology. The question is whether it is accurate or not.
ALAN GREENSPAN

Accurate Everyone Exist Ideology Need Question
The process of innovation is, of course, never ending.
ALAN GREENSPAN

Course Ending Innovation never Process
The only effective regulation lies in the propensity of customers to choose alternatives, of investors to move their funds elsewhere and of labour to acquire technical skills’.
ALAN GREENSPAN

Chosen Customer Effective Elsewhere Investor Propensity Skill Technical
The arts develop skills and habits of mind that are important for workers in the new economy of ideas.
ALAN GREENSPAN

Art Development Economy Habit Idea Importance Mind Skill Worker
The use of a growing array of derivatives and the related application of more-sophisticated approaches to measuring and managing risk are key factors underpinning the greater resilience of our largest financial institutions…
ALAN GREENSPAN

Application Approach Derivative Grow More Relate Sophisticate Use

We may be in a rapidly evolving international financial system with all the bells and whistles of the so-called new economy. But the old-economy rules of prudence are as formidable as ever. We violate them at our own peril.

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We may be in a rapidly evolving international financial system with all the bells and whistles of the so-called new economy. But the old-economy rules of prudence are as formidable as ever. We violate them at our own peril.

Related Topics

Popular Authors

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