Export prices by end us YoY is up to 18.8%, the highest in recorded history (or since 1983 when they started recording export prices).
Import prices by end use rose to 12.5% YoY.
Unrelated to US export and import prices, the MBA’s mortgage credit availability index slumped with the Covid outbreak and the explosion of The Fed’s Balance Sheet. As I have said before, nothing has been the same since Covid.
The Federal Reserve’s two goals of price stability and maximum sustainable employment are known collectively as the “dual mandate.” Unfortunately, inflation is running away (bad) from employment gains (good). Sort of like “The Good, The Bad and The Ugly.” But just the Good and The Ugly combine to create the Misery Index.
Here is the Atlanta Fed’s CORE flexible CPI YoY for March. The good news? Flexible Core CPI YoY was a little lower than the historic high reading in February. The bad news? We are still talking about 21.82%+ rise in prices (down from 23.56% in February).
If I use the Atlanta Fed’s flexible consumer price CORE index combined with the U-3 unemployment rate, we see that March’s inflation report plus U-3 unemployment is generating a misery index that was last seen in July 2008 during The Great Recession. Unless we consider the July 2021 reading of 31.3%, so we have seen two horrible misery index readings under Biden.
If we look at the Misery Index since 1967, we now have the GOAT (Greatest of All-time) Misery.
Now, inflation under Presidents Ford and Carter (red line) were higher than the flexible core price index (blue line) in the 1970s and 1980. But flexible core price CPI YoY is substantially higher than March’s CPI growth of 8.5%.
The bottom line is that inflation losses are far outweighing the employment gains, resulting in elevated misery.
US real average weekly earnings growth YoY is down to -3.60%. That is the lowest since 2007 and is worse than The Great Recession and financial crisis of 2008.
And look at this chart of mortgage payments under Biden. The US was actually experiencing DECLINING mortgage payments YoY in 2019 and 2020. But under Biden’s leadership, mortgage payments have increased by 50% making housing even MORE unaffordable for the middle class and lower-income households.
And now for something kind of scary. The US today suffered a 12 basis point decline in the 2-year Treasury yield, generally a bad sign for the economy. As if we needed more bad news for today.
Highest inflation in 40 years, worst wage growth since 2007 and rising mortgage payments. We will need all the luck we can get.
With 8.5% YoY inflation, REAL average hourly earnings growth fell to -3% YoY.
And with The Fed intent on extinguishing their part of the inflation, Bankrate’s 30Y mortgage rate rose to 5.14%.
Energy is the biggest culprit (fuel oil up 70.1% YoY) thanks to the double whammy of 1) Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and 2) Biden’s restrictions on oil and natural gas production. Food at home is up 10% YoY.
Here is a colorful chart of MoM growth in prices.
The Taylor Rule model now says that The Fed Funds Target Rate should be 11.90%. Hence, Fed Stimulypto is still in place with the signal that rates will increase.
How about WTI Crude and Brent Crude soaring over 4% today?
Once again, the Four Horsemen of the Inflation Apocalypse (Biden, Powell, Pelosi, Schumer) overstimulated the economy and financial markets with excessive monetary stimulus (Powell) and excessive Federal spending (Biden, Pelosi, Schumer) where demand soared for products and supply naturally hasn’t caught up.
Well, the US have gone from “fastest economic recovery in history” to real GDP growth of less than 1% (Atlanta Fed GDPNow for Q1). In addition, the flexible price CPI less food and energy is a whopping 20%.
You can see “The Biden Miracle!” in the following chart. Hires (red line) dropped with Covid shutdowns, then spiked when governments opened economies again. Throw in the trillions of Federal government Covid stimulus and trillions in Fed monetary support, the Biden Miracle sees less like a miracle and more like an extremely expensive way to add jobs. But the interesting problem facing the Administration is the massive spike in job openings relative to hires (again, governments opening-up plus Federal Stimulypto).
Now for a real downer of a chart. Inflation is so toxic that REAL average hourly earnings YoY is down -2.72%. Hardly the best economic growth in history.
Now we have Jerome Powell and The Blackhearts threatening quantitative tightening starting in May. Here is The Fed’s theme song “We love printing money.”
But The Fed is already slowing the growth of monetary base, although this Fed Stimulypto is still growing much faster than pre-Covid.
At least the 10Y-2Y Treasury curve is back above 0 bps as the Atlanta Fed’s GDPNow Q1 forecast falls to under 1%.
Remember, The Fed is planning on shrinking the balance sheet by $95 billion. The Fed’s balance sheet is just shy of $9 trillion. Which is around 1% per month.
With rising expectations of Fed quantitative tightening (QT), residential mortgage rates keep climbing.
Despite a slowing economy teetering on recession and a war raging in Europe, The Fed is tightening monetary policy. Allegedly to fight red-hot inflation.
Stablecoin refers to a new class of cryptocurrencies which offer price stability and/or are backed by reserve asset. In recent times, stablecoins have gained enough traction as they attempt to offer the best of both world’s – the instant processing and security of payments of cryptocurrencies, and the volatility-free stable valuations of fiat currencies.
US Senator Pat Toomey, ranking member of the Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs Committee, announced today legislation to create a responsible regulatory framework for STABLECOINS.
Toomey Announces Legislation to Create Responsible Regulatory Framework for Stablecoins Releases Discussion Draft of the Stablecoin TRUST Act
Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senate Banking Committee Ranking Member Pat Toomey (R-Pa.) today released a discussion draft of legislation establishing a new regulatory framework for payment stablecoins.
“While today stablecoins facilitate trading with cryptocurrencies, tomorrow stablecoins could be widely used in the physical economy. They have the potential, among other things, to speed up payments and automate transactions,” said Ranking Member Toomey. “The proposed regulatory framework I’m releasing today will allow this crypto-innovation to continue flourishing while protecting consumers and minimizing potential risks from stablecoins to the financial system. I look forward to receiving feedback on this legislation from my colleagues and stakeholders as Congress continues its work on stablecoin regulation.”
Key Components
· Authorizes three different options to issue payment stablecoins:
o Establishes a new federal license designed specifically for stablecoin issuers;
o Preserves the state-registered money transmitter status for most existing stablecoin issuers; and
o Clarifies that insured depository institutions are permitted to issue stablecoins.
· Protects consumers by subjecting all payment stablecoin issuers—regardless of whether they are a state money transmitter or receiving a new federal license—to standardized requirements, including:
o Disclosures regarding the reserve assets backing the stablecoin;
o Clear redemption policies; and
o Subjecting them to routine audits by registered public accounting firms.
· Provides much-needed clarity that, at a minimum, stablecoins that do not offer interest are not securities.
o Provides a clear regulatory framework for payment stablecoins and rejects the Securities and Exchange Commission’s approach of regulating through enforcement actions.
· Applies privacy protections to transactions involving stablecoins and other virtual currencies.
Background
· In August 2021, Ranking Member Toomey announced he was soliciting legislative proposals to ensure federal law supports the development of digital assets and its underlying technologies while protecting investors.
· In December 2021, Ranking Member Toomey released a set of principles to lay the framework for forthcoming stablecoin legislation.
Crytpos in general are having a bad day, with Bitcoin down 4.78% today and Ethereum Classic down 12%.
Toomey’s proposal is a great step forward in the regulation of stablecoin.
The 10-year Treasury term premium, the amount by which the yield on a long-term bond is greater than the yield on shorter-term bonds, remains steeply negative (white line) as The Federal Reserve steps up its attack (aka, monetary tightening). Meanwhile, the 10Y-2Y curve actually rose into positive territory.
Historically, the 10-year Treasury Term Premium declines before a recession.
Meanwhile, 3 month Treasury bill to Overnight Indexed Swaps spread is crashing to the lowest level since 2017.
But with inflation raging at the fastest pace in 40 years, the REAL 10-year Treasury yield remains negative at -5.236% while the REAL 30-year mortgage rate is -3.01%. Both were in positive territory when Biden was installed as President.
Speaking of interest rates, the infamous PIGS (Portugal, Italy, Greece, Spain) are all seeing surges in their 10-year sovereign yields. Sweden, while not a PIG has the largest spike today at 13.8 BPS.
Actually, the biggest spike in sovereign yields occurred in Ukraine where their 2-year yield popped +205.8 BPS. But Lebanon has the highest 2-year yield at 162.29%. Turkey is in third place in the sovereign demolition derby at 23.52%. Sadly, Poland’s 2-year yield is up 16 bps today.
But the winner of the sovereign debt demolition derby is …. drumroll … VENEZUELA! At 436.77%.
I am really surprised that Biden hasn’t adopted Maduro’s fashion sense.
Consider what has happened since President Biden was elected. The S&P 500 total return index (green index) has risen thanks to The Federal Reserve’s balance sheet expansion (orange line) with COVID. Until 2022 when the expectation of Fed rate hikes surged from 3 in late December 2021 to 9.4 expected rate hikes over the next 12 months (yellow line).
The US Treasury total return index (white line) has gotten crushed with The Fed’s signals of rate hikes and quantitative tightening (QT). Call it “White Line Fever.” The commodity total return index (blue line) has surged as The Fed’s expected rate hikes have risen from 3 to 9.4 in 2022.
Is The Fed causing a Great Reset in housing? In 2022, we see the surge in Fed rate hike expectations leading the 30-year mortgage rate to be nearly 5%. The last Case-Shiller home price index was for January and it was still raging at 19.17% YoY growth. Let’s see if The Fed’s QT will slow down home price growth. But home prices are growing at 4x 30-year mortgage rates.
(Forbes) – Credit Suisse’s Zoltan Pozsar argues Bretton Woods II crumbled when the G7 countries seized Russia’s foreign exchange reserves. Keeping money inside financial institutions like the IMF was considered risk free. That is clearly no longer the case. Similarly, Bretton Woods I collapsed when Nixon took the US of the gold standard back in 1971 when dollars were convertible to gold at a fixed exchange rate of $35 an ounce. This led to Bretton Woods II, backed by “inside money” or the dollar, which itself is not linked to gold or any other commodity.
Now the basis of this system, which has operated for the past 50 years, is being called into question. The sanctions on Russia, which showed that reserves accumulated by central banks can simply be taken away, raised the question of “what is money?”
That question may explain why Pozsar believes a huge shift in the way the world organizes money and reserves is now underway, “creating a “Bretton Woods III backed by outside money,” (gold and other commodities). Including crude oil and bitcoin.
At least crude oil has fallen below $100 as Biden merrily drains the Strategic Petroleum Reserve (SPR). Gasoline prices have fallen slightly as this is being done before the midterm elections with political, not economic, intent. Once the midterms pass, will Biden continue draining the SPR until there is little left forcing the US to convert to “green energy”?
The purchasing power of the consumer dollar took a plunge under Biden as other commodities such as Bitcoin and crude oil soared.
An alternative asset, gold, have generally risen under Biden’s Reign of Error, but particularly after the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
Unfortunately, the US Breakeven 10Y inflation rate hit another all-time high as West Texas Intermediate Crude Oil (Cushing Spot) soars.
But note that the WTI Crude spot rate is still lower than it previous peak in June 2008. What is notable in the above chart is that M2 Money growth YoY has slowed after Covid “Stimulypto”. But M2 is still growing at an 11% YoY clip, much faster growth than pre-Covid rates. So, Federal stimulypto is still in place, helping to drive inflation to the moon.
As The Biden Administration and Congress pushes Green Energy and demonizes fossil fuels, we are seeing Green Energy commodities such as Lithium (for batteries) soar even faster than oil prices.
And just an update on The US Dollar, Crypto Currencies and Gold. This is just a sample of alternatives to the US Dollar for transactions. Freedom of choice is a great thing!
Confounded Interest - Anthony B. Sanders 
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