Peter's Blog

The Cost of Easy Money Is Now Coming Due

Since 2008, we have been in an era of unprecedented money printing and interest rate suppression. Now the cost of all of that easy money is coming due.

Fed’s Favorite Price Inflation Measure Comes in Slightly Hotter Than Expected

The Federal Reserve’s favorite inflation indicator came in slightly higher than expected for November. This is another indication that while price inflation appears to be easing some, the data indicates it is far from whipped.

Existing Home Sales Fall for 10th Straight Month as Housing Bubble Continues to Deflate

The US housing bubble continues to lose air at a rapid rate. Existing home sales fell for the 10th straight month in November. This stretch of declining home sales is longer than the housing bust preceding the 2008 financial crisis.

President Biden Misrepresenting Wage Gains

President Joe Biden claims wages are rising faster than prices. It might be unfair to say he’s lying, but he’s certainly misrepresenting the facts. The fact is price inflation continues to eat away at your wages.

US Government Runs Another Massive Budget Deficit; This Is Bad News for the Fed Inflation Fight

The US government ran a massive $248.5 billion deficit in November, according to the latest Monthly Treasury Statement. There was only one month in fiscal 2022 with a bigger budget shortfall. This is bad news for the Federal Reserve as it tries to raise interest rates and shrink its balance sheet to fight price inflation.

Producer Prices Rise More Than Expected in November

When the October CPI came out, the mainstream spin was that inflation had peaked. But they might have gotten a little ahead of themselves. The Producer Price Index (PPI) data for November indicates that we may well see more consumer price inflation down the road.

American Consumer Debt Continues Its Relentless Climb

After household debt grew by the largest amount since 2007 in the third quarter, American consumers kicked off the fourth quarter by piling on even more debt. Consumer debt grew by another $27 billion in October, a 6.9% year-on-year increase. Americans now owe $4.73 trillion in consumer debt, according to the latest data released by the […]

Trade Deficit Grows for Second Straight Month as Dollar Weakens

A shrinking trade deficit was the primary reason GDP jumped in the third quarter. But that trade deficit relief is already reversing. The October trade deficit swelled to $78.2 billion, a 5.4% increase. It was the second straight month of trade deficit growth.

Central Banks Start Q4 Buying More Gold

After adding a historically high amount of gold to reserves in the third quarter, central banks kicked off Q4 buying more gold. According to data compiled by the World Gold Council, central banks globally added another 31 tons of gold to official reserves in October.

Investors Fleeing Housing Market as Bubble Deflates

In another bad sign for a housing bubble that is quickly deflating, investor purchases of single-family homes tanked in the third quarter. Meanwhile, overall home sales continue to tumble and prices are falling.