Around the world, markets are warning signs that the global economy is teetering on a cliff’s edge. The question of a recession is no longer if, but when.
The hangover has been brutal. The S&P 500, the broadest measure of Wall Street — and the index responsible for the bulk of Americans’ 401(k)s — is down nearly 24% for the year. And it’s not alone. All three major US indexes are in a bear market, down at least 20% from their most recent highs.
Once again, who apart from the Fed to Blame.
Inflation, along with the steep rise in interest rates by the central bank, has pushed bond prices down, which causes bond yields (aka the return an investor gets for their loan to the government) to go up.
Britons, who are already in a cost-of-living crisis, with inflation at 10% — the highest of any G7 economy — are now panicking over higher borrowing costs that could force millions of homeowners’ monthly mortgage payments to go up by hundreds or even thousands of pounds.
The upshot “The immediate outlook for the global economy and for much of the world’s population is darker than before.