Fed Upgrades Economy to Strong | Armstrong Economics

The talk behind the curtain remains that the Fed is still under pressure to PLEASE don’t raise rates. The lobbying continues from the IMF, ECB, and Emerging Markets. Meanwhile, the Fed leaves rates unchanged, but it upgraded its view of the US economy to ‘strong’ which remains a signal that the Fed is still prone to raise rates if the stock market continues to rally. The Federal Open Market Committee voted unanimously to keep the target range for its benchmark rate at 1.75 percent to 2 percent. Still, the committee said that “economic activity has been rising at a strong rate,” which is a more bullish view than the June characterization of “solid” growth. Consequently, this statement also noted that household spending has “grown strongly.” The bottom-line remains clear. The US economy is holding up the entire world and lowering taxes has helped to bring capital home and attract foreign capital as the USA remains actually a tax haven outside of the world reporting system agreements.
— Read on www.armstrongeconomics.com/markets-by-sector/interest-rates/fed-upgrades-economy-to-strong/

More good economic news

European Banks Lending in USA Rather than Europe? | Armstrong Economics

European banks have been lending in the United States quiet aggressively because (1) the economy is doing good so there is a demand for loans contrary to Europe, and (2) the behind the curtain view that the euro will decline and the dollar will rise. During the first half of 2017, European banks have lent about $53 billion in US dollars taking the currency risk which they have benefited from as the euro declines. According to Bloomberg, Europeans’ combined market share in the United States rose to nearly 24%. The concern of some has been that the loans are going into leverage structures once again. In total, banks and other companies issued $494 billion in new leveraged loans 2017, which has been the largest amount since 2011. The European banks at the top of the list are the British Barclays Bank, which bought Lehman Brothers Holdings’ US businesses after the collapse. Barclay’s now controls more than 6% of the market for new loans and is the third largest leveraged loan arranger in the US this year. Barclay’s is also big in issuing credit cards in the United States. The second on that list is Credit Suisse Group AG. Then we have Deutsche Bank, which on the one hand wants to withdraw from US markets, has also been looking at lending in dollars for the same reason of gaining on the currency in the face of a collapsing euro. We see similar policies being adopted in the British HSBC, Swiss UBS, French BNP Paribas, Dutch ING Groep and Credit Agricole. While many believe that as major central banks continue to push ahead with monetary policy normalization of raising interest rates, they wrongly think that raising rates will hurt the credit market and create a downturn. What they fail to grasp is that rates can rise with no impact provided the economy is expanding, but rates can also rise because there is no demand and government is forced to keep offering higher rates to find buyers of their debt in the real world. It all depends upon what people believe. This is why low rates in Europe have FAILED to stimulate demand when people lack confidence in the future, they will NOT borrow at any rate. Expectations of profit MUST exceed the level of interest rate before people will borrow. They function differently than governments which are addicted to debt and borrows all the time with no cyclical expectation.
— Read on www.armstrongeconomics.com/markets-by-sector/interest-rates/european-banks-lending-in-usa-rather-than-europe/

This is strange

Trump vs Obama

On Friday, the Trump administration released their annual report to Congress on White House Office Personnel.  It includes the name, status, salary and position title of all 377 White House employees.  The report also said that  Trump decided not to take a dime of his salary ;  instead he donated it to an amazing cause!  See below.

The report also showed that President Trump is far better at saving money than Obama was.  The total annual White House salaries under Trump are $35.8 million vs. $60.9 million under Obama, a savings of $25.1 million.  Here are some other key findings:

There are 140 fewer employees on White House staff under Trump than under Obama at this point in their respective presidencies.

Thirty-nine fewer staffers are also dedicated to The First Lady of the United States (FLOTUS).  Currently, there are only five staffers dedicated to Melania Trump vs. forty-four staffers who served Michelle Obama (FY2009)

However, it’s what the report said Trump did with this salary that has everyone talking.

Instead of taking his salary,  Trump donated all $400,000 to the Department of the Interior  where it will be used for construction and repair needs at military cemeteries!   AMAZING!   It’s so great to have a President who loves our brave military men and women so much!

Oh, and where’s the media coverage of this?  That’s right, they don’t cover anything decent that the President does…