Fiscal Policy

In Bessent We Trust

Nov 25, 2024 3 min read paid

The Bond Vigilantes like Scott Bessent, who was nominated to be US Treasury Secretary by Donald Trump yesterday. Their vote of confidence was reflected in the 10-year US Treasury bond yield, which fell to 4.28% from 4.42% at the end of last week. We like him too. We are looking forward to having him in the Trump administration working hard to make our Roaring 2020s scenario great. Earlier

Ed Yardeni
Eric Wallerstein

Modern Monetary Magic At Work

Oct 28, 2024 3 min read

Republican Everett Dirksen was the Senate Minority Leader during the 1960s. Cautioning that federal spending had a way of getting out of control, Dirksen reportedly observed, "A billion here, a billion there, and pretty soon you're talking real money." Proponents of Modern Monetary Theory (MMT) have been claiming in recent years that the US federal government can run large budget deficits to fund social welfare programs

Ed Yardeni
Eric Wallerstein

Bond Vigilantes Started Voting Early

Oct 23, 2024 3 min read

The US presidential and congressional elections aren't until November 5, but the Bond Vigilantes are voting early. The 10-year US Treasury bond yield has risen a whopping 63 basis points to 4.25% since the Fed's September 17-18 meeting (chart). In exit polls, the Bond Vigilantes are saying they are voting against Fed Chair Jerome Powell's dovish monetary policy because the economy is running

Ed Yardeni
Eric Wallerstein

The Blob Keeps Growing. So Why Aren't Bond Yields Soaring?

May 13, 2024 2 min read

The federal deficit narrowed a bit to $1.63 trillion over the 12 months through April (chart). However, over the same period, the US Treasury had to raise $2.63 trillion by issuing marketable securities, which now total a record $26.9 trillion. The Treasury had to borrow more than the deficit to replenish its checking account at the Fed, which was down to almost zero last June. The blob

Ed Yardeni
Eric Wallerstein

The Economic Week Ahead: May 6 - 10

May 5, 2024 2 min read

It's slim pickings this week on the US economic front. The news is mostly about credit conditions. Then again, earnings reporting season isn't over. And, we can always count on the members of the Federal Open Mouth Committee to make headlines now that their blackout period is over. Here is what we can expect from this week's credit market indicators: (1) Q2's

Ed Yardeni

The Blob

Apr 22, 2024 2 min read

The US federal deficit reminds us of the 1958 science fiction horror classic, "The Blob." It stars none-other than Steve McQueen, in his first leading role. The blob is an amoeba-like alien creature that crashes to Earth from outer space and feeds on humans, getting bigger and bigger with every bite. The federal deficit is getting bigger and bigger devouring more and more funds in the capital markets

Ed Yardeni

The Economic Week Ahead: April 8 - 12

Apr 7, 2024 2 min read

This week will feature some key inflation numbers. The March headline CPI (Wed) and PPI (Mar) will get a boost from higher gasoline prices. Their core inflation rates should continue to moderate. The week starts with the FRBNY survey of inflation expectations (Mon). The pump price of gasoline jumped last month and probably boosted inflation expectations (chart): The gasoline component of the March CPI will also reflect the jump in

Ed Yardeni

Fairy Godmother Of The Bond Market

Jan 2, 2024 2 min read paid

When Janet Yellen was Fed chair from 2014 to 2018, we often referred to her as the “Fairy Godmother of the Stock Market.” We noticed that stock prices tended to rally following her speeches and testimonies on monetary policy and the economy. She has been Treasury secretary since 2021. We may start calling her the “Fairy Godmother of the Bond Market.” That’s because the rally in the bond market

Ed Yardeni

S&P 500 Earnings At Record High

Dec 12, 2023 2 min read paid

Yippee! S&P 500 operating earnings per share rose to a record high in Q3, for the first time since Q2-2022, and its 4.6% y/y increase was the first such gain in four quarters (chart). Forward earnings rose to another record high during the December 7 week, suggesting the same for actual earnings during Q4. The just-ended earnings recession was very mild, with three back-to-back quarters of

Ed Yardeni

Stock Prices Are Jumping Again

Nov 12, 2023 3 min read paid

After the stock market closed on Friday, Moody’s reduced the US government's credit rating from “stable” to “negative” citing large fiscal deficits. The ratings agency said in a statement that “continued political polarization” in Congress raises the risk that lawmakers will not be able to reach consensus on a fiscal plan to slow the decline in debt affordability.” Will bond and stock prices tumble on Monday again

Ed Yardeni

The Economic Week Ahead: October 9-13

Oct 7, 2023 2 min read paid

This is a big week for two big issues troubling the bond market, namely inflation and the US federal budget deficit. The BIG event will be September's CPI (Thu). This time, September's PPI (Wed) will be released the day before instead of the day after the CPI. The headline inflation rates of both were inflated by energy prices, particularly gasoline prices (chart). The core CPI will

Ed Yardeni

Uncle Sam Downgrade Raises Caution Flag

Aug 2, 2023 2 min read paid

In yesterday's QT, we noted that the 10-year Treasury bond yield was back just over 4.00% and that this might "weigh on stock valuations, especially of the MegaCap-8." That's what happened today. Yesterday, after the close, Fitch Ratings downgraded US government debt from AAA to AA+ for all the reasons that have been concerning in the bond market for years. The US federal

Ed Yardeni

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