As the U.S. economy continues to muddle through with sub-par growth, deflationary fears have kept the Fed on high alert. This chart highlights the effect Quantitative Easing has had on the Fed’s balance sheet over the past two years. Not only has the balance sheet more than doubled in size, but it’s composition has also [...]
Tag Archives: inflation
Bubbles…Is Gold next?
The WSJ recently published a chart that we thought was worth examining, and then noting here. The chart draws an excellent comparison between the recent surge in gold prices to previous bubbles of the last decade, giving us a cautionary perspective for those pouring money into gold today: Tweet
Forecasting: Interest Rates and Market Changes
The function of economic forecasting is to make astrology look respectable. – John Kenneth Galbraith I’ve been in the forecasting business for 50 years, and I’m no better than I ever was, and nobody else is either. – Alan Greenspan And the cost of reacting to forecasts, stock market promoters and other financial [...]
Treasury-Inflation Protected Securities
Treasury-Inflation Protected Securities, also known as TIPS, are securities whose principal is tied to the Consumer Price Index. With inflation, the principal increases. With deflation, it decreases. When the security matures, the U.S. Treasury pays the original or adjusted principal, whichever is greater. TIPS pay interest every six months, based on a fixed rate applied [...]
Inflation Risk
What is inflation? When you see the term inflation in the media, it refers to a change in the Consumer Price Index (CPI), which tracks the cost of goods and services typically purchased by consumers. This government figure is good for measuring economic activity for the country at large, but does little for individuals who [...]