Mar 21, 2019

Federal Reserve, Crude Oil Prices & Credit Card Debt

Fed's Dovish Posture: A Big Mistake

Every clueless commentator on CNBC is applauding the Fed's dovish posture. They don't understand that this shift was the inevitable result of prior monetary policy mistakes. Rather than acknowledging and leaning from those mistakes, the Federal Reserve is just making even larger ones now! 

FOMC Meeting: Gold and U.S. Dollar Reaction

The fact that the U.S. dollar is not already tanking and gold soaring underscores just how clueless investors remain as to the future trajectory of the U.S. economy and past efficacy of #Fed monetary policy. They are in for a rude awakening. 

Government Bonds: Few Real Buyers For Longer-Dated Maturities

The real reason the Federal Reserve is lengthening its balance sheet is that it knows there are few real buyers for longer-dated maturities. This will only worsen the Federal Reserve losses when it eventually sells those securities to fight inflation, or the public's losses if it choses not to!

Inflation & Crude Oil Prices

The decline in oil prices is the main reason Powell claims he is not worried about rising inflation. Yet oil prices are already up by 33% this year, rising above $60 per barrel today. Oil prices may actually double in 2019. As the U.S. economy slows, the CPI will rise faster.

Americans Owe Over  $1 Trillion In Credit Card Debt

Americans owe over $1 trillion in credit card debt and recent polling data indicates they aren’t paying off those balances anytime soon. (related stocks: Visa (V), Mastercard (MA), American Express (AXP))

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