The study attempts to give Otto Gloeckel and his collaborators their due by telling their story of school reform, which, in connection with the historical happenings and strivings of the time, must be regarded as events of lasting importance.

The financial crisis has exposed severe shortcomings in mainstream monetary economics and modern finance. It is surprising that these shortcomings have not led to a wider debate about the need to overhaul these theories. Instead, mainstream economists have closed ranks to defend existing theories and public authorities have expanded their interference in markets. This book investigates the problems associated with mainstream monetary economics and finance, and proposes alternatives based on the Austrian school of economics. This school emanated from the work of the nineteenth-century Austrian economist Carl Menger and was developed further by Eugen von Böhm-Bawerk, Ludwig von Mises, and Friedrich August von Hayek. In monetary economics, the Austrian school regards the creation of money by banks through credit extension as a key source of economic instability. From this follows the need for a comprehensive reform of our present monetary system. In a new monetary order, money could be issued by both public and private institutions, and there would be no need for fractional reserve banking. Instead of creating money, banks would intermediate it. In finance, the Austrian school rejects the notion of rational expectations and measurable risk. Individuals use their subjective knowledge to gather and evaluate information, and they act in a world of radical uncertainty. Hence, markets are not "efficient" nor can portfolios be built on the basis of known probability distributions of asset prices as described in the modern finance literature. This book explores the need for a new theoretical foundation for asset pricing and investment management that will give practitioners more useful orientation.

Insanity seems to rule the financial markets and many investors are driven by delusion and anxiety. May everything you thought you knew about investing be wrong? The Austrian School's approach provides the needed respite for investors caught in inflationary treadmills. Conventional investment experts often overlook economic developments which may become a hazard for mainstream investors. Instead, the Austrian School of Economics has proved itself as an independent approach beyond the interests of politicians and bankers. The financial system is shaking. This book presents new paths through the shaky grounds between the tectonic plates of inflation and deflation to both private and professional investors. "This book is a must-have for every responsible investor!" (Felix W. Zulauf, Investor) "I am grateful to the authors of this book for not only highlighting the fundamental principles of the Austrian School but also for showing how investors can make practical use of them. " (Dr. Marc Faber, Investor) "For the first time an extensive compendium has been published in which the theoretical foundations developed by the 'Austrians' have been made useful for the investor's practical needs. The authors develop a remarkable 'Austrian investment philosophy'." (Prof. Guido HUlsmann, University of Angers) "The Austrian School's perception helps us to see long-term patterns and opportunities that today are often hidden. [...] For the authors and their important work I hope for the widest possible audience of a bestseller." (Prince Philipp von und zu Liechtenstein, Chairman LGT Group)

This book discusses contemporary banking and monetary policy issues from the perspective of the Austrian School of Economics. Based on the heritage of the Austrian school, leading scholars and practitioners offer a coherent diagnosis and analysis of the factors leading to Europe’s current financial crisis. The first part of the book discusses Ludwig von Mises’s and Friedrich August von Hayek’s ideas on banking and monetary policy from both historical and economic standpoints. It includes contributions on Austrian monetary dynamics and micro-foundational business cycle theory, von Mises’s concepts of liquidity and solvency of fractional-reserve banks, and liberalism of Austrian economics. The second part analyzes the measures taken by the European Central Bank (ECB) in light of the ideas of von Mises and Hayek. It includes contributions on non-neutrality of money, ECB monetary policy, and the future of the ECB. The third and final part presents discussions on monetary reforms, including contributions on Bitcoins, Cryptocurrencies and anti-deflationist Paranoia.

The second volume of The Logic of Action, this text is a selection of Rothbard's scholarly articles. It was his ambition to show the scientific status of the Austrian School and, at the same time, demonstrate the theory's radical, free-market implications for government policy.