Peter's Blog

Ron Paul: Wreck the Economy Win a Nobel Prize

Ben Bernanke was one of the architects of the inflation you’re suffering from today. He won a Nobel Prize for his efforts. Bernanke rolled out quantitative easing to rescue the economy in the wake of the 2008 financial crisis. At the time, he swore it was a temporary emergency measure and that the Fed would […]

Fed Balance Sheet Creeping Upward Again

The Federal Reserve has talked a lot about fighting inflation. But what has it actually done? In practice, not a lot. It has nudged interest rates up 75 basis points. And while the Fed has ended the massive quantitative easing program that it ran during the pandemic, it pushed balance sheet reduction back from May […]

Why Won’t the Fed Be Able to Shrink Its Balance Sheet?

Earlier this week, Federal Reserve governor and vice-chair nominee Lael Brainard indicated the central bank will shrink its balance sheet at a “considerably” more rapid pace than it did during the previous cycle. I, Peter Schiff and a few others outside the mainstream have said the Fed won’t be able to do this. Why not?

Quantitative Easing Has Seemingly Ended (for now)

It appears quantitative easing has pretty much come to an end. At least for now. Although the Fed was still expanding the balance sheet through mid-month, it only added a net $9B to the balance sheet during March. This was accomplished with moderate purchases of short- and long-term debt, while 5–10-year notes had a $20B […]

Peter Schiff: How Long Before the Fed Has to Turn Japanese?

Is the US about to go the way of Japan? The Japanese yen tanked after the Bank of Japan vowed to buy an unlimited number of Japanese government bonds in order to hold the 10-year yield under its 0.25% target.

While Talking About Fighting Inflation, the Fed Continued to Expand Its Balance Sheet

Earlier this month, the Federal Reserve launched its first salvo against inflation, raising interest rates by a quarter-percent. It was a pretty weak shot given 7.9% CPI, but Jerome Powell and other Fed presidents ratcheted up the tough rhetoric last week. Powell raised the possibility of 50 basis-point rate hikes at future meetings and San […]

What Happens If the Fed Takes Its Thumb Off the Housing Market?

We talk a lot about how the Fed keeps its big fat thumb on the Treasury market. But it also has its big fat thumb on the housing market. And if the Fed really does follow through with its taper and its plans to shrink its balance sheet, it will have a big effect on […]

Biden Signs Massive Military Spending Bill – How Will They Pay for It?

President Joe Biden’s “build back better” spending bill seems to be dead — at least for the time being. But there is still plenty of spending coming down the pike. This raises an important question: how is the Federal Reserve going to simultaneously taper its bond-buying program and monetize all of this debt? On Monday, […]

It’s Taper Time! But so What? SchiffGold Friday Gold Wrap Nov. 5, 2021

The Federal Reserve wrapped up its FOMC meeting on Wednesday and finally announced the much-anticipated QE taper. The Fed will cut its bond-buying program by about $15 billion a month. But so what? In this episode of the Friday Gold Wrap, host Mike Maharrey digs into the Fed announcement and raises some very important questions.

The Taper Is On

The Federal Reserve wrapped up its November FOMC meeting on Wednesday and finally did something other than talk. The central bank announced it will begin to taper its massive quantitative easing program.