Federal Reserve Defers to Donald Trump by Cutting Interest Rates by 25 Points
The Federal Open Market Committee lowered the federal funds rate for the third meeting in a row despite elevated inflation.
Money
The 2025 Libertarian Gift Guide: 28 Great Ideas for Apocalypse Preppers, Boozers, Self-Improvers—and More
Panicked about holiday shopping? Reason staffers and contributors are here to save the day.
Reason Webathon Woodchips Through $400,000 Goal Before the Halfway Point!
And now we're announcing a new $30,000 match!
The Trump Admin Wants Western Union and MoneyGram To Report on Immigrants
An obscure bureau of the U.S. Treasury is using USA PATRIOT Act powers to sniff out under-the-table employment.
Cigarette Taxes Are Costing States Billions in Lost Revenue
Punitive levies drive black markets, fuel criminal enterprises, and—perhaps counterintuitively—help people evade the tax man.
Review: Who Is Satoshi Nakamoto? A New Book Investigates Bitcoin's Creator
Author Benjamin Wallace explores several possibilities but admits the mystery remains unsolved.
Treasury Department Surveillance at the Southern Border Faces Fourth Amendment Challenges
A new FinCEN rule forced small money services businesses to collect personal data on nearly every customer transaction. Lawsuits claim this violates the Fourth Amendment.
Donald Trump Is Not the Bitcoin President
He’s the stablecoin president, seeking to expand the monetary power and borrowing capacity of the U.S. government.
Here's What Would Happen If We Seized All the Wealth From America's 800 Billionaires
Don't comfort yourself with wishful thinking that millionaires and billionaires could take the entire burden of the deficit off our hands.
Americans Misunderstand Social Security but Appear Open to Reform
Younger Americans seem ready to treat the program as a safety net, not a retirement plan.
To Truly Fix Debanking, We Need Structural Reforms
Trump’s new executive order addresses political discrimination in banking, but we need deeper reforms to money-laundering laws and the Bank Secrecy Act to truly protect freedom and privacy.
Capitalism Isn't Why You're Unhappy
Some young adults blame "capitalism" for just about everything. But it's only a convenient scapegoat.
How Environmental Groups Use Hysteria To Get Rich—and Stop Progress
Most of Big E spends little on cleaning rivers or parks and far more on filing lawsuits.
Tax Comparisons Show 'Free' Stuff is Very Expensive
And the stuff you get is of the government’s choosing—not yours.
Billionaire Cliff Asness: Can Technology Outrun 'Stupider and Stupider' Government?
Co-founder of AQR Capital Management, Cliff Asness, discusses the decline of market efficiency, the dangers of populist economics, and his libertarian outlook on capitalism.
Judge Halts Federal Scrutiny of $200 Transactions
The temporary restraining order allows time to challenge burdensome reporting requirement.
Gold Tops $3,000
Despite efforts to rein in government debt, gold prices keep rising—suggesting investors aren’t buying the promises of fiscal responsibility.
15 Years of Super PACs
The SpeechNow ruling expanded political speech and reshaped elections.
Sleepwalking Into a Cashless Society
Central bank digital currencies would destroy any chance for financial privacy, but society is willingly moving in that direction.
Taking $200 Out of an ATM Should Not Trigger Federal Financial Surveillance
No, not even if you do it in a county that borders Mexico.
Trump's (Un)strategic Crypto Reserve
If the government wants to encourage cryptocurrency innovation, "buying coins is actually a pretty lousy way of doing that," says one economist.
To Cut Government Spending, Trump Targets Pocket Change
The penny is expensive to produce and has long outlived its usefulness.
The Government Says Money Isn't Property—So It Can Take Yours
In a jaw-dropping argument, the Department of Justice claims seizing $50,000 from a small business doesn’t violate property rights because money isn’t property.
Photo: The Disappearing Satoshi Nakamoto Statue
An Italian bitcoin enthusiast pays homage to the person or people who started the cryptocurrency revolution.
IMF Offers a Glimpse at the Perils of Central Bank Digital Currencies
Government-controlled digital money could mean the end of financial privacy and independence.
Bidenomics Goes Out With a Whimper
There's a good reason Biden eventually stopped saying Bidenomics. Americans didn't like the results of his economic policies.
If You Support the Right To Own and Trade Bitcoin, Support Reason!
We’ve been making the case for stateless money and financial freedom since Day One. Donations are being matched today!
Reform Social Security for Those Who Need It Most
As it stands, the program effectively redistributes money from younger and poorer people to richer people.
Trump Panders to Auto Industry, Proposes Making Car Loan Interest Tax Deductible
The former president's increasingly lopsided economic policy proposals have the feel of throwing spaghetti at the wall.
Universal Basic Income Shows Why Giving People 'Free Money' Doesn't Work
According to recent data, people work less—and actually end up deeper in debt.
