monetary policy

Fed’s magic money tree hopes to overcome smartphone sales downturn and global recession risk

Apple, Ben Bernanke, central banks, Consumer demand, Huawei, interest rates, Jay Powell, lending, magic money tree, monetary policy, smartphones, stimulus, US Federal Reserve, Xiaomi

Last November, I wrote one of my “most-read posts”, titled Global smartphone recession confirms consumer downturn. The only strange thing was that most people read it several weeks later on 3 January, after Apple announced its China sales had fallen due to the economic downturn. Why did Apple and financial markets only then discover that smartphone sales

Chemicals flag rising risk of synchronised global slowdown

BabyBoomers, Brent oil prices, central banks, consumer spending, Economic growth, hedge funds, interest rates, Leverage, monetary policy, OPEC

Chemicals are easily the best leading indicator for the global economy.  And if the global economy was really in recovery mode, as policymakers believe, then the chemical industry would be the first to know – because of its early position in the value chain. Instead, it has a different message as the chart confirms: It […]

The post Chemicals flag rising risk of synchronised global slowdown appeared first on Chemicals & The Economy.

US Treasury benchmark yield heads to 4% as 30-year downtrend ends

BabyBoomers, central banks, China, consumer spending, deflation, fertility rate, Financial Events, inflation, life expectancy, Milton Friedman, monetary policy, Prof Philip Tetlock, return of capital

The US 10-year Treasury bond is the benchmark for global interest rates and stock markets.  And for the past 30 years it has been heading steadily downwards as the chart shows: US inflation rates finally peaked at 13.6% in 1980 (having been just 1.3% in 1960) as the BabyBoomers began to move en masse into the […]

The post US Treasury benchmark yield heads to 4% as 30-year downtrend ends appeared first on Chemicals & The Economy.

Chemical industry downturn challenges stock market optimism

Leave a Comment / Bank of Japan, central banks, demographic deficit, demographic dividend, Economic growth, monetary policy

Stock markets used to be a reliable indicator for the global economy, and for national economies. But that was before the central banks started targeting them as part of their stimulus programmes.  They have increased debt levels by around $30tn since the start of the Crisis in 2008, and much of this money has gone […]

Monetary policy reaches sell-by date for managing the economy

Leave a Comment / Bank of England, Bank of Japan, Economic growth, European Central Bank, interest rates, monetary policy, quantitative easing, stimulus, US Federal Reserve

Monetary policy used to be the main focus for running the economy.  If demand and inflation rose too quickly, then interest rates would be raised to cool things down.  When demand and inflation slowed, interest rates would be reduced to encourage “pent-up demand” to return. After the start of the Financial Crisis, central banks promised […]

“Demographics in mainstream economics has been under-emphasized for too long” – Andy Haldane, Chief Economist, Bank of England

Leave a Comment / Andy Haldane, BabyBoomers, Bank of England, Bill Gross, demographics, Economic growth, inflation, Larry Summers, monetary policy, Robert Gordon

“Will economists start to consider demographics when making their forecasts and developing government policies?” This was the question on my mind at a recent discussion on the topic of “An economy that works for everyone” at the UK’s Institute for Government.  The speaker was the Chief Economist of the Bank of England, Andy Haldane, and the Institute’s […]