Peter's Blog

The Fed Is Doing a Lot of Talking But What Is It Actually Doing?

The markets have obsessed over what the Fed is saying while almost completely ignoring what it’s actually doing. After the June FOMC meeting, markets reacted to the hint that the Fed might start raising interest rates in 2023 instead of 2024. But of course, it didn’t move rates up from zero. And while the Fed […]

Why Are US Treasury Bond Sales Are About to Spike?

The federal government has already run a $2.06 trillion budget deficit in fiscal 2021 with four months left to go. But somewhat surprisingly, over the last few months, the national debt hasn’t increased at nearly the pace you would expect considering the budget shortfalls. Given the level of spending, borrowing should be much higher. How has […]

Thomas Jefferson vs. the Federal Reserve

The Federal Reserve is the engine that drives one of the biggest, most powerful governments in the history of the world. Without the Fed, it would be difficult, if not impossible, for the government to fund its foreign wars, its massive, unsustainable social programs, the ever-growing police state, and the tangled web of corporate welfare […]

Chipotle Menu Price Hike Spotlights Inflation Problem

Government programs, political campaigns and wishful thinking can’t trump economics. In the end, economics always wins. Chipotle’s recently announced menu price hikes bear this out.

Inflation Crashes the Party

It’s dawning on many investors that our post-Covid financial problems may not be as easily solved as Washington claims. The latest clue that trouble is brewing has come from the sudden and dramatic arrival of inflation. On May 12, it was revealed that the Consumer Price Index (CPI) had risen 4.2% year-over-year, the fastest pace […]

Janet Yellen’s Flip-Flop and What She’s Really Telling Us

Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen sent markets into a tizzy on Tuesday when she said interest rates may have to rise to keep the economy from overheating with all the government stimulus. But later in the day, she walked those comments back, claiming inflation isn’t going to be a problem and insisting that she wasn’t suggesting […]

Jerome Powell: Same Old Song and Dance

The Federal Reserve wrapped up its April meeting yesterday. Again, there were no changes in actual policy, leaving everybody to try to parse out meaning from the FOMC’s statement and Jerome Powell’s post-meeting press conference. When you boil it all down, it was pretty much the same song and dance from  Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome […]

Jerome Powell Admits Federal Budget “Unsustainable” But Assumes We Can Fix It Later

Through the first six months of fiscal 2021, the US government ran a record $1.7 trillion budget deficit. Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell said this is sustainable – for now. During a webinar sponsored by the Economic Club of Washington DC, Powell said the economy can handle the current debt load. But he did warn […]

The Mainstream Is Wrong About Rising Bond Yields and Gold

Prices are going up. The Federal Reserve is printing money at an unprecedented rate. The US government continues to borrow and spend at a torrid pace. As Peter Schiff put it in a recent podcast, we’re adrift in a sea of inflation. Gold is supposed to be an inflation hedge. So, why isn’t the price […]

What’s In This Stimulus Bill 3.0? And Who’s Going to Pay for It?

On Wednesday, the House gave final approval to coronavirus stimulus bill 3.0. For those keeping score at home, that brings total stimulus spending approved during the pandemic to $5 trillion. So, what exactly is all of this money going to be spent on? And who is going to pay for it?