(Bloomberg Opinion) -- Trump’s $2,000 Stimulus Checks Are a Big Mistake — Larry Summers

I am not opposing stimulus or favoring austerity. For years I have been making the secular stagnation case for more expansionary fiscal policy, and I have often remarked over the last couple of months that “not passing fiscal stimulus is like not wearing a mask at a large indoor gathering — an insane risk.” And both in the immediate term, and on a permanent basis, I am all for strengthening the social safety net. 

The issue is whether spending about $600 billion on a one-time tax credit that would be worth $8,000 to a family of four and reach more than 85 percent of taxpayers makes good economic sense. There is the possibility of some overheating, particularly if the economy’s potential supply remains constrained by Covid protection measures. I am all for a far more expansive approach to fiscal policy. But that does not mean indiscriminate support for universal giveaways.

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A $280 Billion Unicorn Just Had its Legs Broken — Tim Culpan

Cryptocurrency Is Not Necessarily the Future — Tyler Cowen

Going Skiing Is a Terrible Idea Right Now — Ferdinando Giugliano

My Unusually Normal Life in Taiwan Amid the Global Pandemic — Tim Culpan

For Corrosive Inequality, Look to the Upper Middle Class — Noah Smith

Homebuyers Brace for Pain in a Post-Pandemic Market — Conor Sen

The House That Jack Ma Built Is China’s Own Creation — Tim Culpan

Now We Know How Boris Johnson’s Movie Ends — Therese Raphael

Stanford Scientists Create a Billionaire Factory — Chris Bryant

This is the Weekend Edition of Bloomberg Opinion Today, a roundup of the most popular stories Bloomberg Opinion published this week based on web readership. New subscribers to the newsletter can sign up here.

This column does not necessarily reflect the opinion of the editorial board or Bloomberg LP and its owners.

Sarah Green Carmichael is an editor with Bloomberg Opinion. She was previously managing editor of ideas and commentary at Barron’s, and an executive editor at Harvard Business Review, where she hosted the HBR Ideacast.

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