Peter's Blog

Have We Seen the Last Fed Rate Hike of This Cycle?

As was widely expected, the Federal Reserve Open Market Committee (FOMC) put rate hikes on pause at the June meeting, although it indicated we should expect additional hikes before the end of the year. The question is how long will the pause last and will the next Fed move actually be a rate cut?

At Its Core Price Inflation Still Running Hot

The Consumer Price Index (CPI) increased by the smallest annual amount in more than two years in May. This means the inflation fight is over and inflation lost, right? Not so fast.

National Debt Surges By Over $350 Billion in One Day After Debt Ceiling Deal

I warned you. I said when the fake debt ceiling fight ended, the real problems would begin. Well, the debt ceiling fight is over, and here we are. On the first working day after the so-called Fiscal Responsibility Act went into effect, the national debt surged by $359 billion.

Fake Debt Ceiling Fight Yields Fake Spending Cuts and a Credit Card With No Limits

We have a debt ceiling deal. And the deal is there is functionally no debt ceiling until January 2025.

The Fed Blew Up Another Real Estate Bubble and It’s Losing Air

In March, I warned that the commercial and investment real estate markets could be the next thing to break in this bubble economy. A recent article in the Wall Street Journal put a face on my warning.

Corporate Bankruptcies at Levels Last Seen During the Pandemic

Despite all of the mainstream talk about a strong, resilient economy, corporate bankruptcies through the first four months of 2023 came in at the highest level since 2010. Meanwhile, monthly bankruptcy filings have hit numbers last seen during the peak of the pandemic. According to data from S&P Global Market Intelligence, there were 235 corporate […]

The Real Problem Begins After Congress Raises the Debt Ceiling

The debt ceiling fight is getting down to the wire. In a letter to Congress on Monday, Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said that without a debt ceiling increase, it was highly likely the government wouldn’t be able to meet all of its obligations by “early June, and potentially as early as June 1.” Despite the […]

Bernanke and Powell: A Lot of Finger-Pointing but No Self-Reflection

Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell and former chair Ben Bernanke recently fielded questions together at the annual Thomas Laubach Research Conference put on by the central bank. They engaged in a lot of finger-pointing but didn’t offer a hint of self-reflection as they discussed inflation and the state of the economy.

What Are the Markets Getting Wrong?

We’ve talked about the recent selloff in gold. On the other side of the coin, the NASDAQ has made a string of 52-week highs. What is driving these market dynamics? The Fed. The markets generally believe that the Federal Reserve is finished hiking interest rates, or at least close enough to being done that a […]

Household Debt Cracks $17 Trillion for First Time Ever

Total household debt eclipsed $17 trillion for the first time ever in the first quarter of 2023 as Americans wrestle with persistent price inflation. After charting the biggest rise in 20 years during the fourth quarter, household debt climbed again in Q1, rising by $148 billion. The 0.9% increase pushed total household debt to $17.05 […]