Every time the economy gets into trouble, governments and central banks react the same way. They slash interest rates and loosen monetary policy. This gooses the economy — temporarily. But when the next crisis comes, it takes an even bigger dose of extraordinary monetary policy to revive the economy. The Fed has pushed things into the future several times, but as Friday Gold Wrap host Mike Maharrey explains, at some point you’ve got to pay the piper. In this episode, he also discusses the bond market and the latest Fed talk.
Despite the “improving economy,” subprime mortgage delinquencies remain at record high levels. And the full extent of the problem is masked by forbearance programs.
The delinquency rate on FHA mortgages spiked to 17.5% in February. That was up from 17.0% in January and equals the all-time record set in September and November of 2020, according to AEI’s Housing Center.
Every time the economy gets into trouble, governments and central banks react the same way – they cut interest rates and loosen monetary policy to stimulate borrowing and spending. The idea is that the “stimulus” will increase demand and pull the economy out of trouble. But there is a dark side to this policy – debt. And debt is slowly poisoning the economy.
The Federal Reserve held its March FOMC meeting this week. There were no changes in monetary policy, but there was plenty of talk. The question is does anybody really believe what the Fed is saying? SchiffGold Friday Gold Wrap podcast says the mainstream doesn’t seem to believe the Fed. And he doesn’t either. But for very different reasons.
As Peter Schiff pointed out during a recent interview with NTD News, America has never done worse on trade. He called it a sign that we don’t have a recovering economy. In fact, we have a phony economy in danger of collapse.
The annual trade deficit for goods came in at an all-time high in January, increasing $3.4 billion to a record $221.1 billion. In another sign of the massive trade imbalance, there is a shortage of shipping containers to bring things into the US.
What is the ballooning trade deficit telling us about the US economy? Peter Schiff recently appeared on NTD News to talk about it. He said the US has never been worse on trade and it is a sign that we don’t have a recovering economy. In fact, we have a phony economy in danger of collapse.
Peter Schiff recently appeared on RT Boom Bust to talk about inflation, the Fed and gold. He said a lot of people still think the Fed will soon tighten monetary policy to deal with rising inflation pressure. But they’re wrong. Ultimately, the Fed is going to surrender to inflation without a fight. When the markets realize this, the dollar is going to crash through the floor and gold is going through the roof.
Do you feel stimulated? Congress got the deal done on a $1.9 trillion stimulus package this week. But the markets continue to behave as if there is no inflation threat with all this borrowing, spending and money printing. On this week’s Friday Gold Wrap, host Mike Maharrey breaks down the stimulus bill. He tells you what’s in it and who will pay for it. He also talks about rising prices the mainstream can’t seem to find.
We’re told we’re on the road to economic recovery. The $1.9 trillion stimulus is all we need to get us over the hump. But the truth is, Americans started spending like they were over the hump months ago. In fact, American consumers high on stimulus have been on a spending spree since last summer. The Federal Reserve printed money. Uncle Sam handed it out. American consumers spent it on imported goods.
This isn’t the formula for a genuine economy. It’s the formula for a giant bubble.
The Labor Department released its February jobs numbers on Friday. The numbers were better than expected and the official unemployment rate ticked down. The mainstream spun it as more good news and another sign that the economy is on the upswing. But in his podcast, Peter Schiff broke down the numbers and came to a completely different conclusion – this was not a strong jobs report.
