Peter's Blog

Does the Fed Have the US Economy on Life Support?

The Fed did exactly what markets expected during the September FOMC meeting and lowered interest rates another 25 basis points. It was the second cut of the year and pushed the interest rate down to the range of 1.75 – 2%. And yet we’re told that this is the economy is “great.” What gives? Economist […]

Last Week in Review: Monday Sept. 30, 2019

Here is a summary of some of the significant economic data/news that came out last week. Third-quarter 2019 new orders for durable goods remain on track for a second annual decline.  August 2019 Real New Orders for Durable Goods showed a monthly gain of 0.2% [1.0% ex-Commercial Aircraft], but an annual decline of 4.9% [down […]

Most US States Drowning in Red Ink

The federal government continues to pile up debt at a staggering rate. In August alone, the US government added $450 billion to the national debt. But Uncle Sam isn’t the only one who doesn’t have enough money to pay his bills. Forty state governments are also drowning in red ink. Total state government debt now […]

Fun on Friday: Busted!

Did you hear about the Venezuelan nationals who got busted trying to smuggle $5 million worth of gold bars into the US through a Fort Lauderdale airport? True story. The duo had 230 pounds of gold stuffed into the nose of a private Cessna jet. Customs officials discovered a hidden compartment when they noticed some […]

Is the Glass Half-Empty or Half-Full? SchiffGold Friday Gold Wrap Sept. 27, 2019

Gold and silver are down this week. There was some more hopeful trade war news and stronger than expected economic data that drove markets this week. In this episode of the Friday Gold Wrap podcast, host Mike Maharrey covers it, plus some news that’s being mostly ignored. And he ponders a question: should we be […]

Peter Schiff: The Government Created the Student Loan Bubble

During a recent podcast, Peter Schiff talked about the student loan debacle. In a nutshell, it’s the government’s fault. Democratic presidential candidates have been talking about the student loan crisis. And it is indeed a crisis. The total of the outstanding student loans in the US has more than doubled since 2009 when it was […]

US Government Adds Almost Half a Trillion Dollars to National Debt in One Month

The fiscal year budget deficit surged passed $1 trillion last month. Spending deficits necessarily mean more government borrowing and we’re seeing that in the numbers as well. Uncle Sam’s outstanding public debt grew by $450 billion in August alone. The national debt stood at $22.02 trillion on Aug. 1 and surged to $22.47 trillion as […]

Indebted US Consumers Losing Confidence

With debt up to his eyeball, the US consumer seems to be losing confidence in the US economy. Last month, Spencer Schiff wrote an article warning about declining consumer confidence, writing, “any shift in consumer psychology/behavior could knock a critical support out from under our economy.”

Fed Ups Repo Ante; Injects Longer-Term Cash into Banking System to Hold Rates Down

The Federal Reserve upped the ante in its efforts to hold short-term interest rates down this week, injecting longer-term cash into the financial system.

Nobody Knows the “Correct” Fed Policy

Central bankers suffer from what some might call fatal conceit. They actually believe that if they tinker enough, they can come up with a policy that will work “just right.” Maybe we should call it the Goldilocks Syndrome. But the truth is they don’t know.