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Meantime the central bank seeks to palm off on the public the idea that its staggering negative capital is a ‘deferred asset.’ Hold up your hand if you think that the aggregate losses of an organization are an asset of that organization. No hands at all? Absolutely right. Losses are not an asset. That’s accounting 101. Yet the greatest central bank in the world, the Federal Reserve, insists on claiming that its continuing losses, which have accumulated to the staggering sum of $164 billion, are an accounting asset. The Fed seeks to palm off this accounting entry as a “Deferred...

Manufacturer’s Durable Goods New Orders growth peaked in April 2021, thanks in part to M2 Money Growth peaking in February 2021. And its been all downhill since then. Preliminary March data showed a slightly better than expected 2.6% MoM rise (2.5% exp) in the headline orders print. However, thanks to the downward revisions, Durable goods orders are now down 2.2% YoY… the biggest YoY drop since the COVID lockdowns… Source: Bloomberg This is the 8th downward revision of durable goods orders in the last year… Source: Bloomberg Under the hood, defense and non-defense capital goods orders rose with non-defense aircraft...

JPMorgan Chase (JPM) CEO Jamie Dimon is concerned the US economy could be in for a repeat of the problems that hampered the country during the 1970s. "Yes, I think there’s a chance that can happen again," he said during an appearance Tuesday at the Economic Club of New York. The economy in that troubled decade was constrained by stagflation, a combination of low growth and high inflation, and Dimon said such a risk exists again.

Soaring gas prices have risen to $7.29 in parts of California. That price per gallon is higher than the federal minimum hourly wage. Other parts of the U.S. have also fallen victim to rising fuel costs.

JPMorgan Chase (JPM) CEO Jamie Dimon is concerned the US economy could be in for a repeat of the problems that hampered the country during the 1970s. "Yes, I think there’s a chance that can happen again," he said during an appearance Tuesday at the Economic Club of New York. The economy in that troubled decade was constrained by stagflation, a combination of low growth and high inflation, and Dimon said such a risk exists again. "I worry that it looks more like the seventies than we've seen before," he added during a question-and-answer session with Marie-Josee Kravis, chair of...

Month-over-month inflation has been rising on average 0.4% for the past three months and 0.3% for the past six months. If inflation continues to rise at this pace for the rest of the year, then year-over-year core CPI inflation will increase from currently 3.8% to 4% to 4.5%, see chart below. Even if month-over-month increases in core CPI comes in at the historical average of 0.2% for the rest of the year, then year-over-year inflation will still end the year at 3%. To get inflation back to the Fed’s 2% inflation target, core CPI for the rest of the year...

The already insane cost of purchasing a home has hit a new high, thanks to the ongoing horror show that is Bidenomics. Fox News: Findings from Redfin show the combination of steep mortgage rates and elevated home prices has pushed the median monthly housing payment to a record $2,775 – an 11% increase from the same time last year. … There are a number of driving forces behind the affordability crisis. Years of underbuilding fueled a shortage of homes in the country, a problem that was later exacerbated by the rapid rise in mortgage rates and expensive construction materials. And...

April 2024 has been a horrible month for the stock market. This Friday I will be doing a live stream and explaining what is happening. I will be discussing some leading economic indicators that no one else has been talking about that suggest trouble for the economy ahead.VIDEO

For Joe Biden, government spending has no bottom. There's always a student loan to 'forgive,' a green scheme to lose money on, or an illegal alien to offer a 'free' lifetime service package to. And bureaucrats to hire, lots and lots of bureaucrats... As a result the U.S. deficit has hit record levels. According to the Treasury Department:A deficit occurs when the federal government’s spending exceeds its revenues. The federal government has spent $1.06 trillion more than it has collected in fiscal year (FY 2024, resulting in a national deficit.And the national debt? The Treasury Department says:The national debt ($34.60...

Sanctions and the removal of Russia from SWIFT have not deterred the Russian economy. A recent report by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) predicts that Russia’s economy will grow more in the next year than any other advanced economy. The IMF believes Russia’s economy will grow by 3.2% in 2024, in comparison, the US is expected to grow by 2.7% while Europe’s top economy, Germany, is expected to grow by a mere 0.2%. Cutting off Europe from Russian energy backfired in a major way. Foreign investments have been pouring into Russia from the rest of the world, which is eager...

The International Monetary Fund boosted its 2024 global growth forecast to 3.2%, holding steady with 2023, compared with its previous outlook that expected 2.9% growth this year and 3.0% in 2023. In addition, headline inflation is projected to drop to 2.8% at the end of 2024 then to 2.4% at the end of 2025. "Most indicators continue to point to a soft landing," the IMF said in its April 2024 World Economic Outlook Report. "We also project less economic scarring from the crises of the past four years, although estimates vary across countries." The U.S. economy has overtaken its pre-pandemic...

Red Lobster is reportedly considering filing for bankruptcy to relieve financial pressures that have weighed on the company. According to a report by Bloomberg citing people familiar with the discussions, Red Lobster is weighing a Chapter 11 bankruptcy filing to renegotiate burdensome leases and address other long-term contracts as well as rising labor costs. The outlet reported that the seafood restaurant chain is being advised by law firm King & Spalding on the subject, and that while discussions about restructuring are ongoing and that no final decisions have been made about a bankruptcy filing. By filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy,...

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) warned Tuesday that America’s recent economic performance is partially the result of the country’s unsustainable fiscal practices, creating risks for the global economy. “The exceptional recent performance of the United States is certainly impressive and a major driver of global growth, but it reflects strong demand factors as well, including a fiscal stance that is out of line with long-term fiscal sustainability,” the IMF wrote in its latest World Economic Outlook. “This raises short-term risks to the disinflation process, as well as longer-term fiscal and financial stability risks for the global economy since it risks...

Tesla is laying off more than 10% of its global workforce, equivalent to at least 14,000 roles, as the electric carmaker reacts to slowing demand and pressure on prices. The chief executive, Elon Musk, announced “the difficult decision” in a memo first reported by the online publication Elektrek. Tesla employs 140,473 people, according to its annual report.

Business activity continued to decline in New York State, according to firms responding to the April 2024 Empire State Manufacturing Survey. The headline general business conditions index rose seven points but remained below zero at -14.3. New orders and shipments both declined significantly, and unfilled orders continued to shrink. Delivery times shortened, and inventories edged higher. Labor market conditions remained weak, with employment and hours worked moving lower. The pace of input price increases picked up somewhat, while the pace of selling price increases held steady. Though firms expect conditions to improve over the next six months, optimism remained subdued.

Layoffs continue across the freight and logistics industry, with companies in Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Michigan and Texas announcing job reductions and facility closures over the past two weeks. Universal Logistics Warren, Michigian-based Universal Logistics is permanently shuttering two of its subsidiaries and laying off a total of 677 employees, according to notices recently filed with the state. The layoffs are related to Universal-operated entities Logistics Insights Corp. and Universal Dedicated of Detroit, an auto parts warehousing and logistics facility. Both operations were in Detroit. Universal Dedicated of Detroit’s closure will affect 230 truck drivers who worked from the facility. Logistics...

America’s largest water district says declining revenues due to increased water conservation are forcing the agency to significantly raise water rates to remain solvent. The Metropolitan Water District of Southern California, which supplies water for 19 million Americans, is raising its rates 8.5% in 2025 and another 8.5% over baseline levels in 2026. The district’s projections include raising rates an additional 11.5% in 2027 and another 11.5% in 2028 to finance an $8.2 billion water recycling plant that could provide enough annual water for 1.5 million people.

Between earthquakes popping up in unusual places, murder hornets making a brief debut a couple years ago (remember those?) and the price of a Trader Joe’s banana rising for the first time in decades, the world seems to be increasingly unpredictable. Much like a Mentos mint popped into a Coke bottle, the pressure is bubbling and potentially set to burst. But the prime fear among doomsday preppers is less out-of-this-world, like an alien invasion or zombie apocalypse; rather, it takes place on Wall Street’s doorstep. A third (33%) of Americans fear the end of the U.S. will be the result...

Joe Biden, his Administration, and The Federal Reserve are really “The Alligator People.” Despite what they tell you, they have small brains (particularly Biden) and are hyperfocused on spending. A good example comes from “Wall Street On Parade” where they show that The Federal Reserve is still paying BILLIONS to US Treasury in the form of remittances (losses). While at the same time, paying the mega banks on Wall Street high interest loans. As of April 3 of this year, the Federal Reserve (Fed) has racked up $161 billion in accumulated losses. We’re not talking about unrealized losses on the...

We are in an election year. President Biden, a seasoned politician, has failed miserably in tackling inflation and is now attempting to shift blame for "Bidenflation" onto Trump, a move even noted by The New York Times, which dubbed it Biden's Plan B. Commenting on the latest CPI release, President Biden said: We’re better situated than we were when we took office where we— inflation was skyrocketing. And we have a plan to deal with it, whereas the opposition — my opposition talks about two things. They just want to cut taxes for the wealthy and raise taxes on other...