Economists can help by focusing on those problems rather than fairy stories about the Fed going bust and the dollar being abandoned.

FORBES: Is the Fed Going to Go Bust?

In the words of the English novelist Angela Carter, who wrote some thrilling Grimm-based stories, asking where a fairy tale came from is like asking who invented the meatball.

NEWYORKER: Once Upon a Time

But as in all good stories, a fairy godmother has arrived in the nick of time.

ECONOMIST: Once upon a time on Wall Street | The

But scholars tend to associate fairy tales with women, at home, telling stories to one another to relieve the tedium of repetitive tasks such as spinning (which often turns up in these narratives).

NEWYORKER: Once Upon a Time