Category: Economy

Credit Suisse: How the Price of Credit-Default Swaps Provided a Warning “… exceeded every high-water mark … of the past 15 years” Credit-default swaps were invented in the mid-1990s but a lot of people did not become aware of them until around 2000, and that awareness increased dramatically during the 2008 financial crisis. As you… Read more Credit Default Swaps Provide Warning

U.S. Money Supply Deflates 2% Annually (What That Means) The debt bomb implodes: Expect recession and deflation Many pundits have expressed worry about the ramifications of global debt — and rightly so. As the Wall Street Journal noted toward the end of 2022: The world has amassed $290 trillion of debt and it’s getting more… Read more M2 Money Supply Deflates

Why the Recession Consensus Might Be Too Optimistic “Major stock market declines lead directly to…” The verdict seems to be in: The economy is headed for a recession. These headlines from the past few months show what I’m talking about: A 2023 recession would mean job losses for most industries … (USA Today, Feb. 3)… Read more Recession Consensus Might Be Too Optimistic

Why the Threat of Deflation is Real “The Federal Reserve is forging ahead with its balance sheet reduction” I know — inflation has been grabbing all the headlines for a good while now — so you may wonder why the subject of deflation is relevant. First, the definitions of inflation and deflation go beyond commonly… Read more Deflation Threat

Major Fed Myth: Debunked The Fed is reactive in setting rates – not proactive The days of near-zero interest rates are long gone — at least for now. As we look back on 2022, we know that it’s been a year of rising interest rates, and many observers say it’s all due to the Fed.… Read more FED Follows Treasury Rates Again

“Banks are becoming more cautious about lending” And the implications are bigger than just getting a loan Robert Prechter’s Last Chance to Conquer the Crash discusses the psychological aspect of a deflation: When the trend of social mood changes from optimism to pessimism, creditors, debtors, investors, producers and consumers all change their primary orientation from… Read more Tighter Lending Standards for Bank Loans

Why Investors in U.S. Treasuries Face Major Risk Rising rates will be “disastrous” for governments, other debtors and creditors The market for U.S. Treasuries is the biggest bond market in the world, and it appears that potentially big trouble may be afoot. Earlier this month, none other than the U.S. Treasury Secretary herself (Janet Yellen)… Read more Investors in US Treasuries Face Major Risk

Will the “Greatest Depression” Start in Europe? This action by investors resulted in “the highest total since 2014, and probably ever” Many people are familiar with the Great Depression of the early 1930s, but most of them may not know that this economic calamity began in Europe before arriving in the U.S., as a past… Read more Will the Greatest Depression Start in Europe?