At the rate the Fed is going to wait for an 8 handle CPI print next month all while still doing QE, then they panic with 75 bps hike 🤡
— Wifey Alpha (@WifeyAlpha) February 17, 2022
Minutes show Fed ready to raise rates, shrink balance sheet soon
- Federal Reserve officials outlined plans for interest rate hikes and a reduction in the asset holdings on their balance sheet at their last meeting.
- Minutes released Wednesday from the January session show concern about inflation and financial stability though members urged a measured approach to tightening monetary policy.
- FOMC members noted that inflation was beginning to spread beyond pandemic-affected sectors and into the broader economy.
Fed Eyeing Potential for Faster Rate Increases to Ease Inflation
Officials also stepped up deliberations last month over how to shrink central bank’s $9 trillion asset portfolio, January minutes show
The Fed’s battle to fight inflation could cause more pain than higher prices
New York (CNN Business)Rapidly rising prices have caused economic hardship for millions of Americans. But drastic action to rein in prices could lead to even more pain, including job losses.
Peter Schiff: The Fed Is Running Out of Minutes @schiffgold t.co/K1ap3HGDgb
— Peter Schiff (@PeterSchiff) February 17, 2022
MUNGER: Way democracies die…
STUDY: Consumers Paying More for Worse Stuff…
The question of quality is an important and difficult one for statisticians trying to measure inflation. They have to account for cases where the price of a product — a laptop computer, say — hasn’t changed very much but its quality has improved, because technology allows faster processors and better screens. That means that in a sense, the computer is cheaper. And conversely, if the price is unchanged and the product has gotten worse, that effectively means it’s become more expensive.
Americans credit card debt fastest in 22 years…
- Americans’ credit card balances spiked $52 billion in the last three months of 2021.
- Inflation is partially responsible, raising the cost of food and gas.