Wednesday, October 27, 2010

2010 Consumer Contraction Worse Than 2008

Read the data for yourself here at Pragmatic Capitalism, but don't miss the second half of the entry which discusses the genesis and meaning of "the new frugality" and the devastating consequences of the Fed's war on the average American through ZIRP (zero interest rate policy):

On Wall Street and inside the Beltway there are no perceived victims of low interest rates, because low rates result in obscene spreads between the real cost of institutional borrowing (essentially zero) and the real rate of consumer lending (18% to 24% on real-world short term loans). Meanwhile every barrier possible has been raised to prevent those lower rates from propagating to those most in need of longer term relief.

Down with debt! Down with the Fed!