US households already went off their fiscal cliff and breached their debt ceiling – US quickly approaching another debt ceiling limit aligning with the fiscal cliff.
Few people realize that the debt ceiling is aligning right on track with the fiscal cliff. Total public outstanding debt is now at $16.369 trillion and is only $63 billion away from breaching the limit. Not a coincidence that the fiscal cliff is also on the horizon. In essence, we are addicted to debt. However […]
The Temple of Inflation – where does the typical Americans spend their money? A comparison between 1986 and today.
For most people that I know the mortgage and rent payment will eat up the largest portion of a monthly budget. This is the case for the vast majority of Americans as well. Housing is the biggest line item expense on the monthly budget. For the most part people tend to think that the Federal […]
Deleveraging on good debt and ramping up on consumption debt – growth in auto loan debt, collection amounts, and revolving debt.
The grand US household deleveraging event continues as debt is paid off or more likely, wiped away via foreclosures and bankruptcies. What is hidden in the deleveraging trend is the growth of debt in certain spending categories. Keep in mind that not all debt is bad. For multiple decades the US had a cautious lending […]
Smoke and mirrors economy – 47 percent of the members in Congress are millionaires. 67 percent of Senators. Fed and Treasury money close to $7 trillion.
The Federal Reserve is really deep into uncharted territory. In no other time in history has the Fed been so intricately involved in the overall economy. The Fed balance sheet has expanded to an incredible level under very little scrutiny by the public or elected officials, many who have a vested interest in keeping the […]