It's Hard to Get Good Help: The Case of the European Central Bank

Many economists have difficulties with simple arithmetic. That is why so many of them failed to recognize the rising and unsustainable ratios of house prices to rent and income. Apparently arithmetic problems still figure large in policy at the European Central Bank (ECB).

The NYT noted a slightly lower than expected inflation measure for February and told readers:

"The ECB, which targets inflation of just below 2 percent, left borrowing costs unchanged at 0.25 percent in March and has argue...