Income Shares of the Top 1% in Various Countries The richest 1% of Americans take 20% of national income, but the richest 1% of the Dutch people only 6%. Denmark and the Netherlands are the countries that are the most equal. Image: World Economic Forum
One of the Best Yield Curves to Predict a Recession is Coming The spread between the 30-year and the 3-month treasury yields is one of the best recession signal of all the yield spreads. In recent history, a recession occurs about 12 to 18 months after the yield curve inverts. When an inverted yield curve…
Who Has the Most To Lose in US-China Trade War? The tariffs are no threat and China has more to lose economically in a trade war. Those numbers are estimates but in reality wrong ones and far too high, according to Ken Fisher. Image: Oxford Economics
Commercial and Industrial Loans Continue to Accelerate in the U.S. That’s a positive sign for the U.S. economy. Indeed, U.S. banks wouldn’t be lending if they were concerned about the economic situation. Past three recessions saw bank loans negative year over year.
Why the Fed Can’t Raise Interest Rates Above Inflation Rate, Today? The Federal Reserve can’t raise the Fed funds rate above the inflation rate because the US productivity growth is too weak.Net Domestic Investment to GDP is in a long-term downtrend and reduces productivity.This makes it difficult to see the Fed funds rate exceed the…
Where Does Inflation Come From? Mainly inflation comes from excess money supply growth. There is too much money in the system chasing too few goods and services. Over the long term, Nominal GDP = Money Supply x Velocity of Money = Inflation + Real Economic Growth “Inflation is always and everywhere a monetary phenomenon.” –Milton Friedman. You…
Yield Curve vs. Real Fed Funds Rate In modern history, every recession was preceded by an inverted yield curve and high real interest rates. When an inverted yield curve occurs, short-term interest rates exceed long-term rates. It suggests that the long-term economic outlook is poor and that the yields offered by long-term fixed income securities will…
Is Residential Investment a Drag Since the Great Recession? Indeed, it is very low compared to other business cycles. And because housing is already in a slump relative to other economic cycles, it shouldn’t cause a recession. Image: Blackrock
Why Do Eurozone Bond Investors Accept Zero Long-Term Interest Rates? Because they have a deflationary view of the euro area economy. Now, investors are losing so much money just by holding German bonds in real terms (adjusted for inflation). Today, the Germany 10-Year bond yield hits 0% again. Keep in mind that raising interest rates in…
What Will Cause The Next Recession – Robert Shiller On Human Behavior Robert Shiller is a professor at Yale University and Nobel Prize winner in Economics in 2013. What are the biggest risks right now on the next recession? 1) Housing market, 2) Bull stock market, 3) Interest rates and 4) Record expansion. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rUYk2DA8PH8