Operating at the Intersection of Technology and the Capital Markets
Tag: debt
Forget the reported unemployment rate figures - that propaganda does not tell the true labor story as it does not contemplate unemployed workers who are no longer trying to find employment. A better measure of the labor market (as TEK2day readers know), is the Civilian Labor Force Participation Rate. This measure stood at 61.6% in … Continue reading U.S. Labor Force Participation Is Stuck In The Mud
The Atlanta Fed's real GDP estimate of 3.7% is well below inflation as measured by the Fed (CPI of 5.4%) and well below any real world price inflation measure. We do not subscribe to the Fed's theory that price inflation is transitory. Our view is that price inflation will grow from here. If real GDP … Continue reading It Is Beginning To Look Like Stagflation
The fact is that the U.S. economy was more productive from a Labor Force Participation Rate perspective during the Financial Crisis as compared to where it stands today. The Labor Force Participation Rate stood at 66.0% in October 2008 and steadily declined until January 2020 when the Labor Force Participation Rate stood at 63.4%. The … Continue reading Fewer People Are Productive Today As Compared To The 2008 Financial Crisis
Amidst the talk of the Fed potentially tightening monetary policy in 2023 or even next year, the Fed expanded its Balance Sheet at its fastest pace since March 17th of this year, growing assets 1.4% from the week prior. This narrative of the Fed potentially becoming more hawkish needs to be put into perspective. With … Continue reading The Fed Expanded Its Balance Sheet Amidst Tightening Chatter
More bogus CPI numbers reported yesterday (HERE). The CPI itself is a poor price inflation measure given it excludes so many asset classes such as equities, art and crypto. Let's focus on one CPI line item - "food at home" which was up 0.7% over the past 12 months ended May. Sorry, that's a bogus … Continue reading Inflating The Debt Away. Higher Prices Are Here To Stay.
Perhaps that recommendation is a bit harsh and unexpected coming from me, someone who is a staunch advocate of strategic M&A. However, the fact is that interest rates are historically low and valuations will remain historically high until such time as interest rates begin to rise. As we recently wrote, equity valuations have the looming … Continue reading Put Your Strategic M&A Team On Ice
Personal Income is on the rise not because U.S. Productivity is increasing, but because the Federal Government decided it was a good idea to print Dollars and distribute them to Americans. This does not make for a sustainably strong economy. Many of these new pandemic "entitlements" (i.e. welfare) are not going away. Mid-term elections are … Continue reading Federal Transfer Payments To Americans Don’t Equal Economic Strength
The three-headed Hydra of low labor participation, increased debt levels and higher taxes will cripple U.S. long-term Real GDP growth for decades. Labor participation is not going back to December 2019 levels. To believe that scenario is wishful thinking. For starters, 25% of restaurants and bars are permanently closed. Those jobs are not returning. Second, … Continue reading Brace for Anemic Long-Term Real GDP Growth
Over the past 11 months and as recently as Tuesday the Federal Reserve has consistently reiterated its mission to get the U.S. Economy back to full employment. We are not there yet. The labor participation rate remains below 2008-2009 financial crisis levels. Let me know your thoughts on the below (particularly if you are on … Continue reading Is The Fed’s View On The Relationship Between Interest Rates and Jobs Wrong?
Weening the market and Americans off of easy fiscal and monetary policy will be no easy task. The Biden Administration's proposed $1.9 Trillion COVID relief package is the first of two multi-Trillion debt-funded "stimulus" tranches to come in 2021. Between zero interest rate policy, debt-funded fiscal stimulus ($1,400 in direct payments to Americans plus extended … Continue reading It Will Be Difficult To Ween The Market Off Of Easy Money
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