Team Fed And CPI

As investors, analysts and commentators warm to the idea that “inflation is likely transitory”, much of what we have been hearing from the the Fed and the United States Treasury seems to encourage and support that interpretation.

Team Fed member (aka Secretary of Treasury) Janet Yellen, who has used the word ‘transitory’ on other occasions, followed up her own attempts (here and here) to introduce the word into mainstream financial vocabulary with additional comments in a press conference after the G-7 meeting in London…

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Powell And Yellen – Team Fed

POWELL AND YELLEN…

Flashback 11/21/2017:

“President Trump nominated Jerome H. Powell as the new Chairman of the Federal Reserve Bank. Don’t look for much to change. And Janet Yellen’s announcement that she will resign from the board upon Mr. Powell’s induction as board chair is pretty much a non-event.” (see New Fed Chairman, Same Old Story)

Currently, comments by Jerome Powell last week regarding inflation and its effects spooked some investors and analysts.  Investors in leveraged Treasuries were dealt a severe blow when yields spiked and bond prices fell. Others have claimed that the sky is falling and that inflation is all around us.

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US Government Is Beholden To The Fed; And Vice-Versa

US GOVERNMENT IS BEHOLDEN TO THE FED

We hear quite a bit today about the issue of Federal Reserve independence. The crux of the argument usually centers  on monetary policy executed by the Fed versus opinions of politicians and others who want and expect something different, which they believe will provide more favorable results.

President Trump has been ardently vocal in demanding that the Fed be more aggressive in cutting interest rates.  He also wants, and is encouraging, action that would result in a weaker US dollar. He believes that it would be good for American businesses. His reasoning is that a weaker US dollar would make American-made goods more competitive.

Whether or not the President is correct doesn’t matter for purposes of this article. What is important is that there is a wide difference of opinion between the Federal Reserve and its current policies (re: Jerome Powell) as compared to the wishes of the United States government (re: President Trump).

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All Hail The Fed!

ALL HAIL THE FED!

The United States Federal Reserve Bank has left a century-long trail of damage in its wake. A misguided attempt to manage the stages (growth, prosperity, recession, depression) of the economic cycle has led to nearly complete destruction in the value of our money.

The Federal Reserve caused the Depression of the 1930s and worsened its effects. Their actions also led directly to the catastrophic events we experienced in 2007-08 and have made us more vulnerable than ever before to calamitous events which will set us back decades in our economic and financial progress.

The new Chairman of the Federal Reserve, Jerome Powell, is personable, likable, candid, and direct. But he cannot and will not preside over any changes that will have lasting positive impact.

The Federal Reserve does not act preemptively. They are restricted by necessity to a policy of containment and reaction regarding the negative, implosive effects of their own making.

And their actions, especially including the inflation that they create, are damaging and destructive. Their purpose is not aligned with ours and never will be.

Yet they are not totally independent. In fact, they have a very cozy relationship with the United States Treasury. That relationship is the reason they are allowed to continue to fail in their attempt to manage the economic cycle. You can learn about that relationship in my new book ALL HAIL THE FED!

Whatever your understanding is about the Federal Reserve, it will change after reading this book…

New Fed Chairman, Same Old Story

President Trump nominated Jerome H. Powell as the new Chairman of the Federal Reserve Bank. Don’t look for much to change. And Janet Yellen’s announcement that she will resign from the board upon Mr. Powell’s induction as board chair is pretty much a non-event.

Where we are today is the culmination of decades of irresponsible financial/fiscal policies and a complete abdication of fundamental economics.

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