Adam Taggart | Thoughtful Money, Released on 12/15/23

Yesterday the Federal Reserve Market Committee announced it has chosen to keep the Federal Funds Rate steady for now, but when that changes, a rate cut is much more likely than a rate hike. In fact, the FOMC now expects it’s probable it will cut rates three times in 2024. Following the release of this announcement, Fed Chair Jerome Powell held a press conference where he clarified the Fed’s thinking. Powell projected a largely positive vibe, pleased that inflation is declining, economic growth is slowing from the frothy levels seen in Q3, and that the labor market is “coming back into balance”. He no longer expects a recession in 2024. Stocks, bonds, commodities and nearly ever other financial asset shot higher on the news. So, is this this “all clear”? Is it time for the bulls to run? Or may history repeat itself, as most recessions follow the first rate cuts made after a hiking regime? To find out, we talk with experienced Fed-watcher Axel Merk of Merk Investments, and take live audience Q&A.

Axel Merk is the Founder, President, Portfolio Manager, and CIO at Merk Investments LLC. He is an expert on qualitative research and macroeconomic trends. Mr. Merk is also an expert on macro trends, hard money, international investing, and on building sustainable wealth, and he is a pioneer in the use of strategic currency investing to seek diversification. He is a speaker and author on topics ranging from the economy, gold, and currencies to sustainable wealth and personal finance, as well as a regular guest and contributor to the business media around the world. Mr. Merk is an Author of the book Sustainable Wealth: Achieve Financial Security in a Volatile World of Debt and Consumption.

Adam Taggart is the Founder of  Thoughtful Money. He is also Co-Founder and former President of Peak Prosperity. Adam is an experienced Silicon Valley internet executive and Stanford MBA. Prior to partnering with Chris Martenson (Adam was General Manager of our earlier site, ChrisMartenson.com), he was a Vice President at Yahoo!, a company he served for nine years. Before that, he did the ‘startup thing’ (mySimon.com, sold to CNET in 2001). As a fresh-faced graduate from Brown University in the early 1990s, Adam got a first-hand look at all that was broken with Wall Street as an investment banking analyst for Merrill Lynch. Most importantly, he’s a devoted husband and dad.

  economy, federal reserve, inflation, interest rates