This morning, US existing home sales plunged and the Chicago Fed’s national activity index turned negative. Both are obvious signs of a slowing economy.

Anticipating this kind of news, Credit Bubble Bulletin’s Doug Noland in his most recent column analyzed the Federal Reserve’s quarterly Z.1 Report for signs of changing financial trends, and found something potentially serious. The following three charts tell the tale:

First, corporate borrowing slowed dramatically in 2015’s fourth quarter…

…while households scaled back their mortgage borrowing:

And guess who stepped in to save the credit bubble? That’s right. Federal government borrowing soared:

Writes Noland: “This more than offset the private-sector slowdown, ensuring that overall Non-Financial Debt growth accelerated to an 8.6% pace in Q4.”

In other words, monetary policy (QE and low/negative interest rates) has stopped working and now we’re reverting to deficit spending to juice the economy. If this is the beginning of a trend, expect to see a torrent of announcements in coming months touting new government programs on infrastructure, health care and/or the military.

It’s as if the people making these decisions have forgotten that 1) the world borrowed $57 trillion post-2008 and got next to nothing for it and 2) the new debt will have to be rolled over at higher rates if interest rates are ever to be normalized, thus decimating government finances. For more on the implications of this latest iteration of the Money Bubble, see Is This The Debt Jubilee?

By John Rubino

dollarcollapse.com

Disclaimer: The above is a matter of opinion provided for general information purposes only and is not intended as investment advice. Information and analysis above are derived from sources and utilising methods believed to be reliable, but we cannot accept responsibility for any losses you may incur as a result of this analysis. Individuals should consult with their personal financial advisors.

Only logged in users are allowed to post comments. Register/ Log in

The Market Oracle is a FREE Financial Markets Forecasting & Analysis web-site.
(c) 2005-2024 MarketOracle.co.uk (Market Oracle Ltd) - Market Oracle Ltd asserts copyright on all articles authored by our editorial team and all comments posted. Any and all information provided within the web-site, is for general information purposes only and Market Oracle Ltd do not warrant the accuracy, timeliness or suitability of any information provided on this site. nor is or shall be deemed to constitute, financial or any other advice or recommendation by us. and are also not meant to be investment advice or solicitation or recommendation to establish market positions. We do not give investment advice and our comments are an expression of opinion only and should not be construed in any manner whatsoever as recommendations to enter into a market position either stock, option, futures contract, bonds, commodity or any other financial instrument at any time. We recommend that independent professional advice is obtained before you make any investment or trading decisions. By using this site you agree to this sites Terms of Use. From time to time we promote or endorse certain products / services that we believe are worthy of your time and attention. In return for that endorsement and only in the cases where you purchase directly though us may we be compensated by the producers of those products.