Peter's Blog

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 […]

Government Spending Doesn’t “Stimulate” the Economy

The US government ran a record $1.7 trillion deficit through the first half of fiscal 2021. That’s a staggering budget shortfall, but only a symptom of the real problem – excessive government spending. We’re told this will “stimulate” the economy. But in the long run, it does no such thing.

US Government Debt Problem Even Worse Than Advertised

Through the first six months of fiscal 2021, the US government ran a record $1.7 trillion budget deficit. And there is no end in sight to the borrowing and spending. Just last month, the national debt eclipsed $28 trillion for the first time. But it’s even worse than that. A lot worse.

It’s Not a Problem! Until It Is: SchiffGold Friday Gold Wrap April 16

CPI came in even hotter than expected signaling rising inflation. The US government is running a massive record budget deficit. But we’re told these things aren’t a problem. Budget deficits don’t really matter. Inflation is transitory. But how can we be so sure? On this episode of the Friday Gold Wrap podcast, host Mike Maharrey […]

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 […]

Budget Deficit Surges to Record $1.7 Trillion in Just Six Months

The US government ran a budget deficit of $659.59 billion in March, pushing the budget shortfall to a record $1.7 trillion through the first half of fiscal 2021, according to the Treasury Department’s Monthy Treasury Statement. The March budget deficit ranks as the third biggest monthly shortfall in US history, driving Uncle Sam the biggest […]

You Can’t Blame Big Government Spending All on the Pandemic

Congress recently passed coronavirus stimulus 3.0, adding another $1.9 trillion in federal spending to the already massive fiscal 2021 budget deficit. That brings total spending related to COVID-19 to somewhere in the neighborhood of $5 trillion. Meanwhile, the national debt has skyrocketed past $28 trillion. The US government has added $5 trillion to the debt […]

Fiscal 2021 Budget Deficit Already Over $1 Trillion

Just five months into fiscal 2021, the US government has already run a budget deficit of over $1 trillion. In a year of massive deficits, the US federal government charted its biggest monthly shortfall of fiscal year 2021 in February. According to the Monthly Treasury Statement, the February deficit came in at $310.92 billion, pushing […]

US National Debt Quietly Eclipses $28 Trillion

On March 1, the US national debt eclipsed $28 trillion with no end to the borrowing and spending in sight. It was just last fall that the debt surged above $27 trillion for the first time. In less than five months, Uncle Sam added another $1 trillion to its debt load. And there’s barely been […]

Fed Expands Record Holdings of US Debt

The Federal Reserve expanded its record holdings of US Treasuries in the fourth quarter of 2020 as it continued monetizing the massive federal debt. The Federal Reserve added another $253 billion to its Treasury holdings in Q4 according to the Fed’s Treasury International Capital data released on Feb. 16. That brought the central bank’s US […]