https://youtu.be/NVnbFQjqh5o is a good overview - Raoul Pal really knows his stuff
Ask HN: How can I learn macroeconomics properly?
11–20 of 141 posts
Re: Ask HN: How can I learn macroeconomics properly?
#12Re: Ask HN: How can I learn macroeconomics properly?
#13The free online courses at Marginal Revolution University delivered mostly by Tyler Cowen and Alex Tabarrok are good imo.
Re: Ask HN: How can I learn macroeconomics properly?
#14https://youtu.be/NVnbFQjqh5o is a good overview - Raoul Pal really knows his stuff
Raoul is great, and its always good to hear from industry professionals (rather than bloggers or people who sound like they know but only ever worked as an engineer or whatever) He is a salesman though and seems a bit of a shill now.
Re: Ask HN: How can I learn macroeconomics properly?
#15I think you are more interested in knowing how policy makers react to macroeconomics situation. I believe reading economical history is a good start. Definitely not an expert myself.
Re: Ask HN: How can I learn macroeconomics properly?
#16There are 2 groups of people who spend a lot of time thinking about macro economics. 1) Professors who compete for prestige and make fun sounding theories like MMT and tend to have very little skin in the game if their theories create value. 2) Portfolio managers who stand to make or lose enormous sums of money if they can make detailed and accurate predictions based off of macroeconomic analysis. I'd rather spend my…
Most will never say the truth or the whole truth in public unless you are paying them or they can back their words with their portfolio. “Show me where your money is.”
Re: Ask HN: How can I learn macroeconomics properly?
#17https://youtu.be/NVnbFQjqh5o is a good overview - Raoul Pal really knows his stuff
Raoul is great, and its always good to hear from industry professionals (rather than bloggers or people who sound like they know but only ever worked as an engineer or whatever) He is a salesman though and seems a bit of a shill now.
Raoul was excellent, and I can highly reccommend any of the pre ~2019 content - he is now a born again Crypto shill.
Re: Ask HN: How can I learn macroeconomics properly?
#18I don't think it's possible to learn macroeconomics "properly", in the sense that one can learn e.g. quantum physics "properly". I pick quantum physics because not every expert agrees on some of the tail end of theoretical things, but there's broad agreement on the main parts of it. Those main parts are more than the average person will ever need to use.
This is not remotely true with respect to macroeconomics. It's absolutely routine that you can find even two orthodox economists (or hedge fund managers, or other practical folks if you prefer) who look at the same situation and predict incompatible outcomes. You don't even need to go down the various heterodox rabbit holes; people ostensibly operating from the same theory routinely make opposed predictions.
It's still worth learning some of the vocabulary, because it is useful for understanding what people are talking about. Of course learning is also gratifying for its own sake, and don't let anyone dissuade you if that's what you're up to. Still, I don't think it makes sense to learn macroeconomics on an expert level for a practical purpose. I don't think it's possible to define what an "expert level" even is.
Re: Ask HN: How can I learn macroeconomics properly?
#19You probably want finance as much as macro. Take a master's degree (not sure if these are as common in the US as in Europe). This stuff is hard, you need to spend time on it. Failing that, follow the advice of lesswrong and read textbooks.
Re: Ask HN: How can I learn macroeconomics properly?
#20I personally _love_ Thomas Sowell's work. Basic Economics would be a great start, especially now with the current housing crisis. Very amusing and interesting read aswell.
He's got quite a few (albeit politically tinted) interviews with the Hoover Foundation on Youtube.