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.
We saw a big selloff in the gold market last week and the price dropped below $2,000 an ounce. The catalyst for that selloff was tough talk from several Federal Reserve officials and an increasing expectation that the central bank will raise rates again in June. As Peter Schiff explained in his podcast, everybody thinks the Fed is going to win the inflation fight because it is going to be even tougher. In reality, they are talking tougher because they are losing the fight.
There are a few things that Friday Gold Wrap host Mike Maharrey writes about that don’t seem to garner much interest. In this show, Mike is going to talk about two of those things, why they matter, and why you should care. He also talks about the recent drop in the price of gold and what the markets are getting wrong.
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 trillion, according to the latest data by the New York Fed.
Gold had dropped by over $100 in the last two weeks. Meanwhile, the dollar rose to a 7-week high on May 17. If you’re thinking that this looks a lot like how gold and the dollar moved at the height of the Federal Reserve’s inflation fight, you’re right. That’s because the central bankers at the Fed have stepped up the hawkish rhetoric in the last couple of weeks increasing expectation that interest rates will stay higher for longer.
But talk is cheap. The real question is how will the Fed respond when the bottom drops out of the economy.
Earlier this year, Saudi Arabia said it was willing to discuss trade in currencies other than the US dollar. This could mark the beginning of the end of petrodollar exclusivity. That would be a huge blow to dollar dominance. Ron Paul said historians may one day call this the most significant event of 2023.
Was the producer price data that came out late last week really more good news on the inflation front?
That’s certainly how the mainstream media spun it. But as was the case with the April CPI data, the mainstream spin didn’t necessarily reflect reality.
In fact, there is a pro-government, pro-official narrative bias that pervades the mainstream media, including the financial media.
Peter Schiff appeared on First TV’s I’m Right with Jesse Kelly to talk about the state of the economy, inflation, and the unfolding financial crisis. Peter warned that we’re heading straight toward Great Depression 2.0.
The CPI data for April came out this week. The mainstream spin was that it was more good news for the Fed’s inflation fight. But the actual data tells a different story. In this episode of the Friday Gold Wrap, host Mike Maharrey talks about the CPI report and the disconnect between the mainstream narrative and reality. He also highlights some interesting Q1 gold demand numbers.
Peter Schiff recently appeared on Real America with Dan Ball to talk about the ongoing banking and financial crisis. Peter emphasized that the Federal Reserve and the US government are trying to fix a problem that they caused. And their cure is going to unleash an inflation tsunami.
