In this week's Off The Cuff podcast, Chris and Mish Shedlock discuss:
- The Rush To War
- Tensions with Russia continue to mount
- Odds Of A Fed Hike Rising?
- Even if the Fed wants to, can it?
- Recession Warning Signs
- It's getting harder to argue we're not already in one
- Topping Markets
- To keep them elevated, we're going to need a bigger stimulus package…
This week Chris and Mish look at the growing data of economic malaise and find it hard to declare that we aren't entering — or already in — recession. Of course, this handicaps the Federal Reserve's ability to make its threatened rate hike — further undermining its credibility if it holds steady, or demonizing it for killing the economy should it actually raise.
Both Chris and Mish see global equity and bond markets topping here, as the current coordinated efforts of the world's central banks are hitting their point of diminishing returns in terms of propping up asset prices. For valuations to remain at their current nose-bleed levels, an increase in stimulus will be needed. The question now is: Who will need to provide it, and are they willing to?
Chris Martenson: If the stock market isn’t topping out here, it's going to require a big new dose of stimulus I think to get it to go higher.
by cmartenson