The End Of Free Money At The Federal Reserve

The U.S. is entering a new economic era. It began with an interest rate tightening cycle coming out of the Federal Reserve, with decisions that have reshaped personal finance in America. Some savings accounts can now return meaningful interest for the first time in years. It has also led to a Wall Street reshuffling, and a wave of corporate bankruptcies as some bad bets turn sour. With these free money years coming to a close, we examine how the Fed's decision-making has affected the economy.

Chapters:
00:00 — Introduction
01:20 — Jobs, wealth and inequality
03:55 — Zero interest rates
06:02 — Wall Street
08:02 — Risk-taking
09:40 — Unconventional policies

Producer: Carlos Waters
Editor: Nora Rappaport
Graphics: Alex Wood, Andrea Schmitz
Supervising Producer: Lindsey Jacobson
Additional Camera: Jeff Morganteen, Bradley Howard
Additional Footage: European Central Bank, Getty Images
Additional Sources: Bain and Company, Bank for International Settlements, Bureau of Labor Statistics, Capital One, Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago, Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis, Mercatus Center at George Mason University, National Bureau of Economic Research, Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development, University of Pennsylvania

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The End Of Free Money At The Federal Reserve

[NicholasBall]

It's quite simple why rates are climbing with rising imports and falling exports, the FED is obviously to be blamed for banking crisis. Something will eventually break if they keep the quantitative tightening and higher interest rates. Is this really a good time to have some savings in stocks?

[scottarmstrong]

The system is failing as a result of both government and federal policy. In the next days, the banking crisis would have to be epic and gigantic for the FED to decide not to raise interest rates. This won't happen; an increase and a crash are coming. There will be more negative portfolios this 2nd half of 2023 with markets tumbling, soaring inflation, and banks going out of business. My concern is how can the rapid interest-rate hike be of favor to a value investor, or is it better avoiding stocks for a while?

[christopherhobb]

Every family has that one person who will break the family's financial struggle, I hope you become the one 😊

[zartanbarbara]

The market's direction can swiftly change, with indexes frequently transitioning from a bear market to a bull market precisely when the news is most negative and investor sentiment reaches its lowest point

[Muller_Andr]

it’s hard to nail down specific predictions for the housing market is because it’s not yet clear how quickly or how much the Federal Reserve can bring down inflation and borrowing costs without tanking buyer demand for everything from homes to cars.

[PhilipMurray]

Fed reserve and the treasury is not bothered about stock capital market. They are more concerned about the treasury bond market. They fear the bond market may become dysfunctional and illiquid. Bond yields are one of the important parameter that influences stock market. All stock pundits fail to mention how the bond yields influence stock market. My main concern now is how we are going to achieve all of that given that the market has been a mess for most of the year. I already lost $23, 000

[tonysilke]

The rising interest rate can surely control inflation, but won't prevent erosion of the eroding purchasing power of the US dollar. I have learnt my lesson this time. The banks can't be making money off my money, while inflation eats into it. I have set aside 650k to invest in the stock market now, since that keeps up with inflation, but I don't know how to get started.

[valentinaarrelaro]

This perhaps is the largest transfer of wealth. It's quite simple why rates are climbing with rising imports and falling exports, meanwhile the FED is to lower home prices. Something will eventually break if they keep the quantitative tightening and higher interest rates.

[gingerkilkus]

Making money is not the same as keeping it there is a reason why investments aren't well taught in schools, the examples you gave are well stationed, the market crisis gave me my first millions, people shy away from hard times, I embrace them.. well at least my advisor does lol.

[roseroland]

The FED knows. They aren't committed to attacking inflation. They are going to continue to inflate, stocks and commodities will continue to go up with everything else. You can't just sit on cash waiting for a crash, get your money working for you, start buying in slowly and then gradually increase the pace of buying as the prices continue to drop.

[mcginnnavraj]

As a soon-to-be retiree, keeping my 401k on track after a bumpy 2022 is a high goal. I've read about investors generating up to $250k ROI in this present sinking market; any suggestions for increasing my ROI before retirement would be greatly appreciated.

[Rubenbarlow]

The United States is grappling with the challenging combination of inflation and recession. An alarming aspect of this recession is the surge in consumer credit card debt. In April alone, credit card debt escalated by 20%, and rates have doubled within a year. Inflation has reached such heights that consumers are resorting to debt for essential life necessities. The signs of a collapse are evident, and the prospect of more layoffs looms. This is why I am considering entering the market now, anticipating a recovery in the economy. I am in the process of constructing a $600k portfolio. Do you have any recommendations for stocks in this scenario?

[PedroniousMonk]

One thing I’ve noticed with anything BAD FINACIALLY is because of…. Yea you guessed it: GOVERNMENT

[Erinmills]

Several of the biggest market experts have been voicing their opinions on exactly how awful they think the next downturn would be, and how far equities may have to go, as recession draws closer and inflation continues well above the Fed's 2% objective. I'm trying to build a portfolio of at least $850k by the time I'm 60, therefore I need suggestions on what investments to make.

[Rizky]

The only thing that matters is who gets left holding the bag. Pensions? Homeowners? Taxpayers? but never the CEO's of Wall Street

[stellamoore]

The markets are still unsure if the Federal Reserve will continue to its plan to raise interest rates until inflation is under control, despite the fact that bond yields are rising while stock prices are falling. What is the greatest strategy to take advantage of the current bear market while I'm still deciding whether to sell my $401k worth of stocks?

[addisonwillow]

Stocks are rallying but I know better, macro shows the economy is yet to recover. I been holding stocks to sell at a profit at this time but it is looking like a bull market the rest of 2023. I am in a fight to hold or to sell. I’m up to 297 grand from a low of 250 thousand last year.

[Evelyn]

As an investing enthusiast, I often wonder how top level investors are able to become millionaires off investing. . I’ve been sitting on over $545K equity from a home sale and I’m not sure where to go from here, is it a good time to buy into stocks or do I wait for another opportunity?

[NormanGhali]

If we are to survive in this economic crisis we need assistance right away. The ETF and stock markets are still quite volatile, just like the property market. I'm still at a crossroads deciding if to liquidate my $300k stock portfolio

[roddywoods]

Since Biden took office, there seem to have been more unfavorable results in America. These results include effects on the markets, such as price declines and sharp increases in inflation, as well as bank failures. I wonder if the sudden increase in interest rates will help value investors or if it would be wiser to stay away from the stock and financial markets for the time being.