Episode #60, "Inflation Is Here, More Is Coming, What We Can Do Now, And How This Affects Prepping." 

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There are five economic indicators to track in order to measure the economy.
Inflation
Employment figures
Housing
Spending
Consumer Confidence

Inflation First:

We are seeing some real red flags with inflation..
We look at some current inflationary examples.
Most notably gasoline, diesel, and energy.

Gasoline prices have increased around 75% in our area in last six months.
Rising fuel costs raises transportation costs, which raises the cost of everything at the cash register.

Food prices are increasing and package contents are shrinking.
What once was A "pound" of bacon, or coffee, is now 12 ounces. Happening with many products.
We are paying more for less.

Add to the inflation caused by the stimulous package, the fact is that we are experiencing huge shortages in some areas.
Demand is up, as people are spending stimulus funds, seeing it as "free money" but it is far from free.
Supply is down due reduced production due to reductions in available workforce.

Get ready. Infation is here, and more is coming.

EMPLOYMENT

Job openings are at all-time high, yet we have a 6% unemployment rate vs 3.5% before covid.
Its not a lack of jobs, but that the current government benefits are so generous that we are paying 3% of the workforce to stay home, there is no incentive to find a job
When more can be made sitting home than working many WILL stay home.
Government benefit is causing a shortage in the workplace, and businesses are having difficulty finding workers. 
Some businesses are paying people just to show up for interviews, paying "sign-on" bonuses, and facing increased costs of labor.

HOUSING

Housing market has seen an increase in pricing.
Locally, houses are being sold faster that they are being built, and sales become bidding wars. Houes are selling for higher than asking prices.

SPENDING

Demand is greatly outstripping supply. The economic stimulous is creating demand that is higher than the potential of the country to produce over the next couple of years.

CONFIDENCE

Normally, consumer confidence drives the rate of sales in durable goods. The more confident consumers are that they will be able to make the payments, the more likely they are to buy. The less confident, the less they are to go into debt.

Look at the other side of confidence - the confidence of the investor. The investor can be the individual OR  the corporation.
Individuals invest money in a number of ways, including starting businesses and investion in existing businesses. That's what the stock market is - investing in existing businesses.
Businesses invest by expanding facilities, hiring more employees, buying new processes, upgrading equipment like computers and machinery.
Biden's tax proposals are counter productive to economic growth and economic health.
His proposed increase from 21% to 28% discourages business expansion, which creates fewer jobs.
Doubling long-term capital gains for wealthy investors to 43% discourages investment.
Investing is always a risk, and if investors are going to be