The Austrian School of Investment Thought
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Weekly Economic Update
December 21, 2015 TIGHTENING BEGINS As anticipated, the Federal Reserve raised the benchmark in terest rate by 0.25% last weekThe Federal Open Market Committee voted 10-0 to make the move. Its latest dot-plot forecast projects four rate hikes during 2016, which would put the federal funds rate above 1% by the end of next year. The Fed … Continue reading
A Long Time Coming: 6 things that have happened since last fed rate hike
The Federal Reserve Open Market Committee is set to raise interest rates today, for the first time in nearly ten years. On June 29, 2006 the FOMC raised the target rate for fedral funds from 5.0 % to 5.25%. At that point Ben Bernanke was but a mere puppy as Federal Reserve Chairman, just … Continue reading
Social Security: The End of File and Suspend for Married Couples
Congress just changed the Social Security benefit rules. On October 30, Capitol Hill lawmakers approved a two-year federal budget deal. As part of that agreement, they authorized the most significant change to Social Security policy seen in this century, disallowing two popular strategies people have used to try and maximize retirement benefits.1 The file-and-suspend claiming … Continue reading
Weekly Economic Update
December 14, 2015 HOW LOW WILL OIL FUTURES GO? Did they hit bottom Friday afternoon, when WTI crude settled at $35.62 on the NYMEX? Maybe not, given the International Energy Agency’s new advisory that the oil glut may grow larger in 2016. Even Brent crude, the global benchmark, closed at $37.94 at the end … Continue reading
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