Showing posts with label INFLATION 2024. Show all posts
Showing posts with label INFLATION 2024. Show all posts

Friday, September 20, 2024

CNBC fact-checks Joe Biden, now that it doesn't matter

 But the article name-checks Donald Trump five times because he's an opponent of Fed decisions.

There's a whole movement out there that wants to End the Fed, composed of Republicans, Democrats, and libertarians, which CNBC is loathe to mention.

Many of them argue that the US 2-year Treasury Note should be the benchmark for the Federal Funds Effective Rate, not the whim of the Fed Chair and the Federal Open Market Committee, who are un-elected, well-connected, and VERY WELL PAID elites who watch out primarily for the interests of the banksters.

For example, despite the disastrous Zero Interest Rate Policy post-Great Recession, DGS2 resisted it and outran DFF throughout the period under Obama and Trump, and anticipated the recent inflationary outburst by starting to rise in the spring of 2021, a full year before the Fed moved to "combat inflation" by raising the funds rate in the spring of 2022. 

Similarly DGS2 also started to fall in November of 2023 despite no change to Fed policy, anticipating the recent decline of inflation rates by almost a year.

The role of the US Treasury Secretary, AS MUCH A CREATURE of the Executive as the Fed Chair, is also huge for interest rates because the Secretary decides how to divvy up the debt securities for auction by duration.

Biden's Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen has been in the news for driving up the issuance in T-bills to 22% when 15% has been customary, which has contributed to longer rates falling and stocks rising, just in time for the election.

But the costs of this have been dramatic, financing deficit spending at the highest rates and driving interest payments on the debt to the third spot in the budget, behind only Social Security and Medicare.




Wednesday, September 18, 2024

Gold has other opinions about inflation

 Gold jumps to record high after U.S. Fed delivers 50 bps rate cut

Gold prices rose to an all-time high on Wednesday after the U.S. Federal Reserve cut interest rates by 50 basis points, sending the dollar lower.

Spot gold was up 0.9% at $2,592.39 per ounce. U.S. gold futures settled 0.2% higher at $2,598.60.

 

Well, that's the end of the inflation "fight"

 Fed slashes interest rates by a half point, an aggressive start to its first easing campaign in four years

 


Friday, September 13, 2024

Yeah, inflation is vanquished and isn't showing up anywhere

 Gold skyrockets as stars align for Fed rate cuts

Gold prices powered higher on Friday, beating record levels, as a boost in bullish momentum fuelled by optimism that the U.S. Federal Reserve is on the brink of trimming interest rates was catalysed by fund inflows and a drop in the dollar.

Spot gold was trading at record levels, up 0.7% at $2,576.48 per ounce by 10:10 a.m ET (1410 GMT). U.S. gold futures rallied 1% to $2,605.30.

Updated:

Spot gold was trading at record levels, up 0.9% at $2,582.05 per ounce by 11:58 a.m ET (1558 GMT). U.S. gold futures rallied 1.2% to $2,610.30.

 

Thursday, September 12, 2024

Food prices making new all-time-highs in August 2024: Beef, beer, yogurt, ice cream, rice

 Many other basic foods, not shown, are still near their all-time-highs, like dried beans for example, or potatoes, sugar, and flour, but you knew that if you've been grocery shopping recently.

Eggs, at $3.204/dozen on average nationally in August 2024, are higher right now than their average annual price EVER: $2.857 in 2022, $2.796 in 2023, and $2.469 in 2015. Eggs averaged $2.798 in the first half of 2024.











Wednesday, September 11, 2024

Worst monthly core inflation since April

 


Did you notice how not one word was said in last night's Trump-Harris debate about Kamala Harris' price controls proposal to combat inflation?

ABC's debate moderators made sure NOT to go there, no sir. And they completely avoided making Harris defend her inflation record as Biden's VP and instead joined the attack on Trump, fact-checking him multiple times but not her. Trump had to debate three people.

It was a disgraceful spectacle which he should have known better than to join.

At least Trump called her a Marxist at one point, that was good.

Harris for her part continued to push for the gimmicks which WaPo previously called out: $25k down-payment assistance which will only increase housing prices by $25k; $50k tax credits for starting a business, which is notably a lot more than for the everyday folks Democrats say they care about most (how many of those will later declare bankruptcy and pocket the cash?); $6k child tax credit, an idea stolen from J. D. Vance and bid-up just like student-loan forgiveness in order to buy votes.

It's all just marginal stuff which treats the symptoms and not the causes.

She is not a serious candidate.

 




The artificially high cost of energy inputs because of the Biden-Harris green energy ideology continues to make everything more expensive in August 2024

Gasoline was 29% cheaper under Trump on average than it is today: $2.49/gallon vs. $3.52 now.

Using electricity for anything was 23% cheaper under Trump on average than it is today: $0.136/kilowatt-hour vs. $0.177 now.

Heating your home with natural gas was 26% cheaper under Trump on average than it is today: $1.04/therm vs. $1.40 now.

Everyone is needlessly poorer after 3.5 years of this huge, Democrat-imposed impediment to the economy's potential, a gigantic tax hidden in plain sight.

 













Core cpi inflation, which excludes food and energy, ticked up in August 2024 to 3.2% year over year, much of which comes from the increasing cost of rent, up 5.2% year over year

3.171 to 3.197:  Wrong way!

 
Time to get another roommate.



















seasonally adjusted core inflation was actually worse, at 3.3% year over year


Sunday, August 18, 2024

Inflation is over, gold hits new high lol

 CNN: The war on inflation has been won. It’s OK if you’re still angry

The headline inflation reading falling below 3% for the first time since 2021 is incredible.

 

CNBC: Gold rallies to record high on softer dollar, rate-cut expectations

Spot gold was up 1.5% to $2,493.66 per ounce after hitting a record high of $2,500.99 earlier. U.S. gold futures rose 1.6% to $2,532.10. Bullion has risen 2.6% this week.