Matt Phillips

Deflation be damned, the US Federal Reserve is going for liftoff in December.

Ben Bernanke was arguably the most powerful person in finance at the exact moment finance, essentially, broke.

Updated 9:03pm ET

We’re kidding—kind of.

Americans are borrowing big again.

Among the left-leaning chunk of the US populace, Scandinavian countries have an irresistible appeal. (You need only note the multiple references to Denmark in recent Democratic presidential debates.)

It seems like all systems are go.

Time flies. It’s jobs Friday once again.

Stock in Mark Zuckerberg’s social media behemoth is on a month-long surge. Facebook shares are up nearly 41% so far in 2015 and roughly 8% over the last week after its latest earnings report blew away expectations after the close yesterday.

Since the financial crisis, more than 4,800 bank branches have disappeared from the American retail landscape.

Apple makes products.

Nope, not yet.

Next meeting! It could happen at the next meeting!

In the early 20th century, economics looked a lot like history.

Usually central bankers aren’t big into specificity. You know, they like to keep things loose. Play it by ear. See how things go.

This post has been updated.

In the bond markets, boredom is a currency.

Get ready for more fun and games in Washington.

Mention “Lombard Street” to an economist, and they’ll likely assume you’re talking about Walter Bagehot’s 1873 ur-text of central banking.

Over the last 30 years, a near constant flow of cash has inundated China and other emerging markets. It has lifted those economies, pulled hundreds of millions of people out of poverty, and dictated corporate expansion plans worldwide.

Former Federal Reserve chairman Ben Bernanke is just regular guy. He likes baseball. He likes inflation-targeting. And he likes Hot Pockets sandwiches.

Ben Bernanke has publicly broken ranks with the Republican party.

Sometimes doing nothing is the right course of action.

It’s jobs day once again. And it’s a bit disappointing.