Peter's Blog

Consumer Confidence Craters in August

President Biden might be optimistic about the economy. Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell might be optimistic about the economy. But the average American? Not so much.

National Debt Grew by over $1.3 Trillion in Just Three Months

The federal government has added $1.3 trillion to the national debt in just three months. When the fake debt ceiling fight ended and Congress suspended the federal government’s borrowing limit for two years in June, the national debt stood at $31.46 trillion. As of Aug. 26, the debt had surged to $32.81 trillion. And with […]

More Americans Are Having a Hard Time Paying Their Big Credit Card Bills

Since price inflation took off in the wake of pandemic-era stimulus, Americans have blown through their savings and run up their credit cards to make ends meet. Now they’re starting to have a hard time paying those credit card bills. The number of Americans rolling credit card debt from month to month is now higher […]

More Banks Get Credit Downgrades as Financial Crisis Continues to Bubble Under the Surface

The financial crisis precipitated by rising interest rates continues to bubble under the surface. Earlier this month, Moody’s cut the credit rating of 10 small and midsize banks. It also placed six large banks on review for potential downgrades and revised 11 more banks from a stable outlook to a negative outlook. This week, S&P […]

Student Loan Payments Set to Restart After More Than Three Years On Pause

The more than three-year break from student loan payments is about to end. That’s more bad news for an economy that depends on consumer spending. Interest accrual on student loans will restart on September first with payments resuming Oct. 1.

Banks Borrowed More Than $3 Billion From Fed Bailout Program in July

In another sign the financial crisis continues to bubble under the surface, banks borrowed an additional $3.7 billion from the Federal Reserve’s bank bailout program in July. Currently, there are $106.9 billion in outstanding loans in the Bank Term Funding Program (BTFP).

Another Blow to the Petrodollar: India and the UAE Complete First Oil Sale in Rupees

In another blow to dollar dominance, India and the United Arab Emirates settled an oil trade without converting local currencies to dollars for the first time on Monday, as India’s top refiner made a payment for oil in rupees. Indian Oil Corp. bought a million barrels of oil from Abu Dhabi National Oil Company in […]

How Turkey’s Love Affair With Gold Impacted the Global Market

Turkey’s love affair with gold has had a major impact on global gold flows, especially through the first half of 2023. Turks have historically held a lot of gold, both in jewelry and investment form. The country ranks as the fifth-largest gold market in the world. But with recent economic turmoil in the country demand […]

Biden Budget Deficits Look Like Those Normally Seen In Recessions

To hear President Joe Biden tell it, the US economy is booming. Meanwhile, the Biden administration is running monthly budget deficits that you would normally see during a deep recession. With two months left to go, the deficit for fiscal 2023 now stands at $1.61 trillion, after the federal government charted another massive shortfall in […]

After Three Months Declining Reserves Central Banks Became Net Gold Buyers Again in June

After three straight months of net sales, central banks globally became net buyers of gold again in June. On net, central banks bought 55 tons of gold in June as the Central Bank of Turkey switched from selling back to buying, according to the most recent data compiled by the World Gold Council.