Cents and Sensibility: the Inflation Guy Podcast

Ep. 119: August Cleanup

The August vacation time is over, and we now hurtle into the unknown last third of the year. The Inflation Guy starts this journey by clearing his desk of the small inflation stories that are interesting and worth discussing, but don't by themselves warrant a full episode. He discusses power, supply chains, price-linked currencies, Japan's experience with trying to get more inflation, and sticky renters. Enjoy, and find all of the links to the source articles below!

 

NOTES

Blog Post: “A Price-Linked USD” (https://inflationguy.blog/2024/08/28/a-price-linked-usd/ )

WSJ Article: “Pay Your Rent, Get 2% Cash Back: Landlords Join Craze for Rewards” (https://www.wsj.com/real-estate/pay-your-rent-get-2-cash-back-landlords-join-craze-for-rewards-8bf68ee3)

Utility Dive: “PJM capacity prices hit record highs, sending build signal to generators” (https://www.utilitydive.com/news/pjm-interconnection-capacity-auction-vistra-constellation/722872/ )

Reuters: “US importers balk at return of $10,000 container shipping rate” (https://www.reuters.com/business/us-importers-balk-return-10000-container-shipping-rate-2024-07-15/ )

NY Times “Japan Wanted Higher Inflation. It’s Here, and It Hurts.” (https://www.nytimes.com/2024/07/29/business/japan-inflation-rates.html )

Blog for this month’s CPI: “Inflation Guy’s CPI Summary (July 2024)” (https://inflationguy.blog/2024/08/14/inflation-guys-cpi-summary-july-2024/ )

To Subscribe to Quarterly Inflation Outlook: https://inflationguy.blog/shop/    (we may close up subscriptions to this soon)

To Subscribe for free to the blog: https://inflationguy.blog/

Check out the website! https://www.EnduringInvestments.com/

Ep. 118: This Month's CPI Report - A Reverse Pony?

It's time for another CPI Report analysis, and the Inflation Guy wades through the confusing report to conclude that...it's not quite as good as it looks. In Episode 106, he talked about a "Potential Pony Situation." Is this a reverse pony situation?

What the heck does that even mean? Who writes this stuff?

 

NOTES

Podcast Callback: “Ep. 106: This Month's CPI Report - A Potential Pony Situation” (https://inflationguy.podbean.com/e/ep-106-this-months-cpi-report-a-potential-pony-situation/ )

Blog for this month’s CPI: “Inflation Guy’s CPI Summary (July 2024)” (https://inflationguy.blog/2024/08/14/inflation-guys-cpi-summary-july-2024/ )

To Subscribe to Quarterly Inflation Outlook: https://inflationguy.blog/shop/

To Subscribe for free to the blog: https://inflationguy.blog/

Check out the website! https://www.EnduringInvestments.com/

Ep. 117: The Why Behind the Slide – and What it Means for Inflation

In this episode of Cents and Sensibility, the Inflation Guy begins by addressing the recent stock market sell-off and tells you what is really causing it. Hint: he told you in Episode 116 it was going to happen. And: if we are actually headed into a recession and possibly a bear market, what does that mean for inflation? Keep your eyes on the macro, not the micro. The Inflation Guy tells you what that means.

NOTES

Podcast Callback: “Ep. 116: Political Volatility” (https://inflationguy.podbean.com/e/ep-116-political-volatility/ )

Blog for this month’s CPI: “Inflation Guy’s CPI Summary (June 2024)” (https://inflationguy.blog/2024/07/11/inflation-guys-cpi-summary-june-2024/ )

To Subscribe to Quarterly Inflation Outlook: https://inflationguy.blog/shop/

To Subscribe for free to the blog: https://inflationguy.blog/

Check out the website! https://www.EnduringInvestments.com/

Ep. 116: Political Volatility

Perhaps a little less coffee would be in order. The Inflation Guy in this episode wanders through several topics, including the Biden Administration's proposal for national rent control, the eviction moratorium, different measures of rent inflation, market volatility and where to hide for the next 110 days until the US election. Focus, man, focus. Still, he has useful contributions on these topics! Listen and see.

 

NOTES

Podcast Callback: “Ep. 37: Bad Idea of the Year - Wage and Price Controls” (https://inflationguy.podbean.com/e/ep-37-bad-idea-of-the-year-wage-and-price-controls/ )

Podcast Callback: “Ep. 7: Rents and Sensibility” (https://inflationguy.podbean.com/e/ep-7-rents-and-sensibility/ )

Podcast Callback: “Ep. 74: Inflation Folk Remedies” (https://inflationguy.podbean.com/e/ep74-inflation-folk-remedies/ ) (This is the one the IG mentioned where he discusses ATRR and NTRR).

Blog Post: “The Residual Effect on Rent Inflation of the Eviction Moratorium” (https://inflationguy.blog/2024/07/18/the-residual-effect-on-rent-inflation-of-the-eviction-moratorium/ )

Blog for this month’s CPI: “Inflation Guy’s CPI Summary (June 2024)” (https://inflationguy.blog/2024/07/11/inflation-guys-cpi-summary-june-2024/ )

Important article: “The Inflation Management Opportunities In The Insurance Industry Today”

To Subscribe to Quarterly Inflation Outlook: https://inflationguy.blog/shop/

To Subscribe for free to the blog: https://inflationguy.blog/

Check out the website! https://www.EnduringInvestments.com/

Ep. 115: This Month's CPI Report - Closer to What We Want

It's that time again, and even though the punditry is now fixated more on the Unemployment Report than the inflation reports, the Inflation Guy doesn't have the trademark or the expertise to be The Unemployment Guy so this podcast is sticking to its knitting. This month's CPI report was the best we have seen in some time, and largely for the right reasons. Are there still things that need to happen for us to be safely on the road to low-and-stable inflation? Yes indeed - and the Inflation Guy discusses those things in this episode.

 

NOTES

Blog for this month’s CPI: Inflation Guy’s CPI Summary (June 2024)

Important article: “The Inflation Management Opportunities In The Insurance Industry Today”

To Subscribe to Quarterly Inflation Outlook: https://inflationguy.blog/shop/

To Subscribe for free to the blog: https://inflationguy.blog/

Check out the website! https://www.EnduringInvestments.com/

Ep. 114: Why Interest Rates Don't Matter for Inflation

One of the absolute rock-solid articles of faith in the economics community is the proposition that increasing interest rates causes inflation to decline. If you want to slow inflation by a lot, you need to increase interest rates a lot. There is no question that increasing interest rates slows economic growth, and hurts people by doing so. The only reason to do it is because economists believe strongly that it brings down inflation.

But what if it doesn't? In this podcast, the Inflation Guy argues that neither logic nor empirical observations support the notion that increasing interest rates - especially in the absence of restricted money growth - causes inflation to decline. And the basic reason that this relationship is indeterminate is easy to understand. The IG explains.

NOTES

Last Week’s Great Podcast! Ep. 113: Real-World Crypto Escapades, Concerns, Threats, and Promises

Chart of Interest Rates vs Inflation: https://bit.ly/4eJTZly  

Blog for this month’s CPI: Inflation Guy’s CPI Summary (May 2024)

Important article: “The Inflation Management Opportunities In The Insurance Industry Today”

To Subscribe to Quarterly Inflation Outlook: https://inflationguy.blog/shop/

To Subscribe for free to the blog: https://inflationguy.blog/

Check out the website! https://www.EnduringInvestments.com/

Ep. 113: Real-World Crypto Escapades, Concerns, Threats, and Promises

On this episode of Cents and Sensibility, the Inflation Guy is blessed with not one but two outstanding guests, who help him unravel the significance of a recent client's problem: after selling his bitcoin on an exchange, the exchange made it difficult (so far, impossible) to transfer the proceeds back to his bank. As the Inflation Guy notes, "that's not in the marketing literature about crypto." So, he enlisted some experts to help explain what is going on, and what it means.

Andy Fately, last heard from in Episode 66 of this podcast, is a veteran of more than 40 years in the foreign exchange markets, trading spot, forwards and options as well as running businesses for major US and international commercial and investment banks.  He is known as the FX Poet (https://fxpoetry.com/about-2/), but really focused on creating solutions for risk managers for problems as they arise.

Susan Joseph, new to the program, is the Executive Director of FinTech at Cornell, and also engages as Fractional GC and Consultant, advising on crypto and digital assets strategy and its interaction with the regulatory world with a focus on the technical and legal interactions. Susan also educates through continuing legal education classes on blockchain, crypto, digital assets, and AI at Cornell, MIT, Stanford, PLI, and ABA and is a recognized expert. She has served as Secretary for both insurer and fintech boards, is an Advisor to certain crypto and other startups, and is the pro bono Executive Director of Diversity in Blockchain, a 501(c)(3) that supports inclusion.

 

NOTES

FX Poet: https://fxpoetry.com/about-2/

Article “Central Bank Digital Currencies: Some Considerations,” by Andrew Fately and Susan Joseph, on Tabb Forum (free registration).

Article “How CBDC’s May Impact Inflation,” by Michael Ashton, Andrew Fately, and Susan Joseph, on Tabb Forum (free registration).

Article “Dirty Laundry” on DW Birch Substack

Blog for this month’s CPI: Inflation Guy’s CPI Summary (May 2024)

Important article: “The Inflation Management Opportunities In The Insurance Industry Today”

To Subscribe to Quarterly Inflation Outlook: https://inflationguy.blog/shop/

To Subscribe for free to the blog: https://inflationguy.blog/

Check out the website! https://www.EnduringInvestments.com/

Ep. 112: This Month's CPI Report - A Very 'Goods' Thing

This month's CPI was a good number - happy news!

But if the Inflation Guy was going to design a 'good number' from scratch, he wouldn't make it look like this. He would start at the other end. What does that mean? Take a listen, and find out why this is a good report and a 'goods' report, but maybe not a great report.

 

NOTES

Blog for this month’s CPI: Inflation Guy’s CPI Summary (May 2024)

Important article: “The Inflation Management Opportunities In The Insurance Industry Today”

To Subscribe to Quarterly Inflation Outlook: https://inflationguy.blog/shop/

To Subscribe for free to the blog: https://inflationguy.blog/

Check out the website! https://www.EnduringInvestments.com/

Ep. 111: Until the Job is Almost Done

At the 2023 Fed conference at Jackson Hole, Chairman Powell promised that the Fed would keep fighting inflation "until the job is done." Is the job done? The Inflation Guy thinks the signs suggest inflation is converging on a higher level than the Fed desires. Will the Fed really keep after it? Listen and find out what the Inflation Guy thinks.

NOTES

Pod Callback: Ep. 109: Famous Last Words

Powell snippet: Source Bloomberg TV

Odd reference: Wikipedia on Mummenschanz

Blog for this month’s CPI: Inflation Guy’s CPI Summary (April 2024)

Important article: “The Inflation Management Opportunities In The Insurance Industry Today”

To Subscribe to Quarterly Inflation Outlook: https://inflationguy.blog/shop/

To Subscribe for free to the blog: https://inflationguy.blog/

Check out the website! https://www.EnduringInvestments.com/

Ep. 110: This Month's CPI Report - 'As Expected' Doesn't Mean 'All Clear'

The economists were mostly on-target with today's CPI report, at least with the headline and core figures. But that doesn't mean that there was nothing going on underneath the surface. Below the big headlines, some things are getting better and some things...aren't. What does it all mean, and does the Fed have some cover to cut rates? Listen to this episode to hear the Inflation Guy's take on those questions!

 

NOTES

Blog for this month’s CPI: Inflation Guy’s CPI Summary (April 2024)

Important article: “The Inflation Management Opportunities In The Insurance Industry Today”

To Subscribe to Quarterly Inflation Outlook: https://inflationguy.blog/shop/

To Subscribe for free to the blog: https://inflationguy.blog/

Check out the website! https://www.EnduringInvestments.com/