Peter's Blog

The Federal Reserve Is Walking a Tightrope in a Hurricane

The Federal Reserve is trying to walk a tightrope — in a hurricane. After rate hikes resulted in the collapse of Silicon Valley Bank and Signature Bank, the Federal Reserve and the US Treasury stepped in with a bailout. With that hole in the dam seemingly plugged for the time being, the Fed pushed forward and […]

FDIC Insurance: To Infinity and Beyond!

In the wake of two major bank failures, Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) deposit insurance effectively went to infinity. And there is no reason to believe it will be temporary. As Silicon Valley Bank and Signature Bank were toppling, the government rushed in to guarantee 100 percent of both banks’ deposits. It was touted as […]

SVB and Signature Bank Were Just the Tip of the Iceberg

The demise of Silicon Valley Bank and Signature Bank was just the tip of the iceberg. As it turns out, hundreds of banks are at risk. This explains why the Federal Reserve and US Treasury rushed to provide what is effectively a bailout for the entire banking system. In the first week, the Federal Reserve […]

Fed Adds Nearly $300 Billion to Balance Sheet in One Week With Bank Bailouts

The Federal Reserve added nearly $300 billion to its balance sheet in a single week as it kicked off its loan bailout program for banks. In effect, the Fed loaned troubled banks $300 billion of new money that was created out of thin air. In other words, we got $300 billion in inflation in a […]

If It Looks Like a Bailout and Walks Like a Bailout It’s Probably a Bailout

As the old saying goes, if it looks like a duck, walks like a duck, and quacks like a duck, it’s probably a duck. Well, if it looks like a bailout, walks like a bailout, and talks like a bailout, it’s probably a bailout.

February CPI: Six Percent Is Bigger Than Two Percent

The annual rise in the Consumer Price Index (CPI) for February came in at 6%. This was down from the 6.4% annual increase charted in January. The eighth straight monthly decline in CPI seems to have restored faith that the Federal Reserve is winning the inflation fight. But everybody should probably stop and remember that […]

If You Can’t Hold It, It’s Not Really Yours

The failure of Silicon Valley Bank and Signature Bank reminds us of a very important truth — if you can’t hold it in your hand, you don’t really own it. That’s why it’s wise to hold at least some of your wealth in hard assets like gold and silver that are in your direct possession […]

Federal Reserve Launches Program to Bail Out Banks

In the wake of two bank failures, the Federal Reserve and the US Treasury announced a bank bailout program. Last week, Silicon Valley Bank was shuttered by federal authorities after the bank suffered significant losses selling bonds in order to raise capital. When that news hit, depositors rushed to pull funds from the bank, making […]

Jerome Powell Performs Open-Mouth Operations; Markets Tank

Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell performed some “open mouth operations” on Capitol Hill Tuesday. Powell talked and the markets freaked out.

Nigerians Not Eager to Embrace Central Bank Digital Currency

Violent protests in Nigeria reveal that getting average people to embrace central bank digital currencies (CBDCs) might be more difficult than government officials would like. Nigerians recently took to the streets to protest a cash shortage caused by government policies adopted in order to push the country into the adoption of its central bank digital […]