Jerome Powell will take the reins of the Federal Reserve next year. After all the speculation about big changes at the Fed with Trump in the White House, it appears the new boss is pretty much the same as the old boss.
So much for draining the swamp. Powell is a swamp creature. As Peter Schiff pointed out, “He has pretty much voted in lockstep with Janet Yellen the entire time she has chaired the Fed. The only real difference between the two is party affiliation. Powell is affiliated with the Republican Party, even though he was nominated to be on the Fed by Barack Obama. So, obviously not that strong a Republican if he was acceptable to Barack Obama.”
In an article published on the Mises Institute blog, Ryan McMaken expanded on this theme, echoing Hunter Lewis who said Powell is more like Chuck Schumer than Donald Trump.
During a recent interview with Investing News Network, Peter Schiff reiterated something he’s been saying for the last several months. The stock market is still a big, fat, ugly bubble, and misplaced optimism continues to blow it up.
[Pres Trump has] accomplished blowing more air into a stock market bubble that already existed before he was elected, as he rightly identified the market as a bubble as a candidate. But you know, his policies have not altered that. In fact, he’s now championing the stock market. He’s the biggest booster. He’s actually claiming credit for the market rising. And I do believe that part of the fuel that has caused the bubble to get bigger is the enthusiasm that Trump will reduce taxes and that these taxes will mean more corporate earnings – certainly after-tax earnings because they cut the taxes – a more robust economy, more growth. And so there’s a lot of optimism. But I think the optimism is misplaced because I believe the added deficits that will result from the tax cuts and the increased government spending will do more harm to the economy than whatever benefit we get from paying lower taxes.”
Some mainstream analysts agree with Peter, warning that the Republican tax cut proposal will balloon the deficit, minimizing its positive economic impact.
So what are we to make of the continuing stock market climb?
Peter Schiff summed it up succinctly in a recent interview on Fox Business.
Well look, I think it’s a bubble.”
Trump said he was going to drain the swamp.
Apparently, the drain is clogged.
Trump picked another swamp creature to chair the Federal Reserve. Jerome Powell got the nod to replace Janet Yellen when her term as Fed chair ends in February. As Tho Bishop at the Mises Institute put it, “this means Trump will ensure that, while the stationary at the Eccles Building will change, the monetary policy guiding it likely will not.”
There’s a lot of optimism out there that passage of the Trump tax plan will juice the economy. Many analysts say tax cut optimism is one of the factors that continue to push stocks up, and that has created headwinds for gold and silver. But as we’ve pointed out, there are reasons to question this mainstream narrative.
Now some in the mainstream are even starting to question the mainstream narrative.
The SchiffGold Friday Gold Wrap podcast combines a succinct summary of the week’s precious metals news coupled with thoughtful analysis. You can subscribe to the podcast on iTunes.
Last week, we asked an important question about Trump’s tax reform plan: Can it deliver?
Despite rampant optimism about tax reform, there are a number of problems. In the first place, it remains uncertain whether or not Congress can even get anything done. Second, as Peter Schiff pointed out, the plan as presented won’t likely create the economic growth it promises.
Peter focused on the fact that the plan isn’t truly reform. It’s tax cuts masquerading as reform. Then there is the issue that it promises to decrease revenue without actually cutting spending and shrinking the size of government. There is strong evidence showing high debt levels retard economic growth.
In a recent article published on the Mises Wire, economist Frank Shostak explains precisely why cutting taxes without accompanying decreases in government spending won’t spur economic growth over the long-term.
Speculation continues to swirl around the question of who President Trump will appoint as Federal Reserve Chair when Janet Yellen’s term comes to an end in February.
Trump will reportedly meet with Yellen this week to discuss the possibility of her staying on as the head of the central bank. During the presidential campaign, Trump was highly critical of Yellen, saying she is “obviously political,” and accusing her of “doing what Obama wants her to do.”
The SchiffGold Friday Gold Wrap podcast combines a succinct summary of the week’s precious metals news coupled with thoughtful analysis. You can subscribe to the podcast on iTunes.
Obamacare repeal 3.0 went down in flames Tuesday. According to Bloomberg, opposition from three Republican Senators derailed the latest attempt to dismantle the Affordable Care Act.
Leaders decided the Senate won’t vote before Saturday’s deadline to use a fast-track procedure to keep Democrats from blocking a GOP-only bill. On Monday, Republican Senator Susan Collins of Maine added her opposition to that of GOP Senators John McCain of Arizona and Rand Paul of Kentucky, enough to sink the legislation in the 52-48 Senate.”
This raises broader questions: Can Republicans get anything done? Is there any chance of Trump pushing through his ambitious economic agenda?
