Trump s Recipe For Disaster - PDF Free Download

Trump s Recipe For Disaster Richard Duncan h5p://www.richardduncaneconomics.com

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It s Too Soon To Know, But We simply don t yet know what economic policies President Trump will put in place. However, based on his campaign promises and what we ve learned since the elec>on, there s real cause for concern. A combina>on of tax cuts, increased government spending and policies that curtail trade would be a recipe for disaster because it would push up interest rates and crush the highly leveraged US economy. Five things will determine which way interest rates will move and, therefore, the direc>on of all asset prices and the economy overall.

Here s Why Interest Rates Are So Important The global economic bubble came very close to collapsing into a new Great Depression in 2008. That disaster was prevented by ultra loose Monetary Policy. Central banks slashed short term interest rates to 0% and then printed trillions of dollars worth of new money and used it to buy financial assets. That strategy allowed credit to expand and caused asset prices to soar, thereby refla>ng the global economic bubble and staving off economic collapse. What happens next will depend on interest rates.

16.00% 14.00% 12.00% 10.00% 8.00% 6.00% 10-Year US Government Bond Yield vs. Credit to GDP Ra\o 1980 to present But, now, if interest rates rise, credit will contract and the economy will crash. 400% 350% 300% 250% 200% 150% 4.00% 2.00% 0.00% As interest rates fell, credit became more affordable. Credit expanded and Credit Growth drove Economic Growth. 100% 50% 0% 2016Q1 2014Q1 2012Q1 2010Q1 2008Q1 2006Q1 2004Q1 2002Q1 2000Q1 1998Q1 1996Q1 1994Q1 1992Q1 1990Q1 1988Q1 1986Q1 1984Q1 1982Q1 1980Q1 10-Year US Government Bond Yield (le^ axis) Debt to GDP (right axis) Source: The Fed

70,000,000 60,000,000 50,000,000 US Total Debt = Total Credit US$ millions, 1952 to 2016 $65 Trillion $10 trillion higher than the pre-crisis peak. 40,000,000 30,000,000 20,000,000 10,000,000 Credit Growth Drives Economic Growth. 1964 = $1 trillion 2016 = $65 trillion 0 1952 1954 1956 1958 1960 1962 1964 1966 1968 1970 1972 1974 1976 1978 1980 1982 1984 1986 1988 1990 1992 1994 1996 1998 2000 2002 2004 2006 2008 2010 2012 2014 Q2 2016 Source: The Fed

90,000 80,000 70,000 60,000 50,000 40,000 30,000 Household Net Worth US$ Billions, 1980 to Q3 2016 And, as Interest Rates fell, Asset Prices rose. A^er 2008, QE pushed up Net Worth by $35 trillion (+60%). Rising asset price created a Wealth Effect that boosted consump\on and economic growth in the US. $90 Trillion 20,000 10,000 0 1955 1956 1958 1960 1962 1963 1965 1967 1969 1970 1972 1974 1976 1977 1979 1981 1983 1984 1986 1988 1990 1991 1993 1995 1997 1998 2000 2002 2004 2005 2007 2009 2011 2012 2014 2016 Source: Fed

700 650 600 Household Net Worth as a % of Disposable Personal Income %, 1951 to 2016 This ra\o of Wealth to Income is near record high levels because very low interest rates and QE have pushed up asset prices. 550 500 450 400 350 1951-10-01 1953-10-01 If interest rates now rise, asset prices will spiral back down, crea\ng a nega\ve Wealth Effect that will push the economy into crisis. 1955-10-01 1957-10-01 1959-10-01 1961-10-01 1963-10-01 1965-10-01 1967-10-01 1969-10-01 1971-10-01 1973-10-01 1975-10-01 1977-10-01 1979-10-01 1981-10-01 1983-10-01 1985-10-01 1987-10-01 1989-10-01 1991-10-01 1993-10-01 1995-10-01 1997-10-01 1999-10-01 2001-10-01 2003-10-01 2005-10-01 2007-10-01 2009-10-01 2011-10-01 2013-10-01 2015-10-01 Source: Fed

The Five Factors That Will Determine Interest Rates 1. The Government s Budget Deficit. 2. The US Current Account Deficit 3. Quan>ta>ve Easing by central banks outside the US. 4. The Infla>on Rate 5. The Chinese RMB Exchange Rate vs. the US Dollar.

1. The Budget Deficit President Trump s plans to cut taxes and increase government spending on the military and infrastructure are quite likely to cause the government s budget deficit to increase very significantly.

400,000 US Government Budget Surplus or Deficit ( ) US$ Millions, 1960 to 2021 es\mates, (Fiscal Years ending Sept 30) 200,000 0 Es\mates -200,000-400,000-600,000-800,000-1,000,000-1,200,000-1,400,000-1,600,000 1960 The budget deficits are currently projected to average $519 billion a year from 2017 to 2021. Those projec>ons don t include the large increase in the annual deficits that is likely to result from President Trump s proposed tax cuts and increased govt. spending. 1962 1964 1966 1968 1970 1972 1974 1976 1978 1980 1982 1984 1986 1988 1990 1992 1994 1996 1998 2000 2002 2004 2006 2008 2010 2012 2014 2016 2018 est 2020 est Source: Office Of Management & Budget

2. Capital Inflows Before Bre-on Woods broke down, trade imbalances and capital flows between na>ons were very limited. But now they have become very large. Capital inflows into the United States have become an enormously important source of funding for the US Budget deficit. The larger the capital inflows are, the easier it is to finance the government s budget deficit at low interest rates.

900,000 The US Financial & Capital Account US$ millions, 1960 to 2015 $807 bn 800,000 700,000 600,000 500,000 Capital Inflows into the United States. $463 bn 400,000 300,000 200,000 100,000 0-100,000 1960 1962 1964 1966 1968 1970 1972 1974 1976 1978 1980 1982 1984 1986 1988 1990 1992 1994 1996 1998 2000 2002 2004 2006 2008 2010 2012 2014 Source: Bureau of Economic Analysis

Mirror Image The Capital Inflows are the mirror image of the Current Account deficit. When the Current Account Deficit grows larger, the Capital Inflows also grow larger, making it easier to finance the budget deficit. But, when the Current Account Deficit shrinks, Capital Inflows also shrink, making it more difficult to finance the budget deficit at low interest rates.

1,000,000 800,000 The Current Account = The Financial and Capital Account US$ millions, 1960 to 2015 Mirror Image Property Bubble 600,000 400,000 200,000 0-200,000 1960 1962 1964 1966 1968 1970 1972 1974 1976 1978 1980 1982 1984 1986 1988 1990 1992 1994 1996 1998 2000 2002 2004 2006 2008 2010 2012 2014-400,000-600,000-800,000-1,000,000 1987 Stock Market Crash Capital Inflows have a powerful effect on US asset prices. Financial & Capital Account Current Account Source: Bureau of Economic Analysis

Capital Inflows May Shrink Trump s plans to force US companies to bring their factories back to the US, to renego>ate trade deals and/or to impose trade tariffs on China and Mexico would all cause the US Current Account deficit to shrink. A smaller Current Account deficit would cause the capital inflows into the United States to shrink, too. Less capital inflows would mean less demand for US government bonds. That would push up interest rates and pop the asset price bubble. So, we must keep a close eye on the US Current Account Deficit because it will determine the size of the capital inflows.

3. Quan\ta\ve Easing Quan>ta>ve Easing is the third factor we must watch. Clearly, when the Fed prints money and buys government bonds, that pushes up the price of the bonds and pushes down their yields. Addi>onal QE from the Fed now looks unlikely, at least in the near term. (We re going to have fiscal s>mulus instead of monetary s>mulus.)

Other Central Banks However, we must also monitor the Quan>ta>ve Easing being carried out by other central banks around the world because QE overseas impacts US interest rates, too. Currently, the ECB, BOJ and BOE (combined) are prin>ng the equivalent of roughly $500 billion every three months. They use that new money to buy their governments bonds. That pushes up the price of their bonds and pushes down their yields. Lower yields in Europe, Japan and the UK are now punng downward pressure on US government bond yields. However, if those central banks print less money in the future, US interest rates would probably rise.

Global QE Half A Trillion Dollars Per Quarter The BOJ and the ECB are now carrying out Quan\ta\ve Easing on a very large scale. Here are the details: Per Month US$ Exchange Rate US$ billion per Month US$ billion per Quarter BOE 70 billion over 8 months 8.75 billion 1.3 11.4 34.1 BOJ Yen 80 trillion per year Yen 6.67 trillion 100 66.7 200.1 ECB Euro 80 billion per month Euro 80 billion 1.13 90.4 271.2 Total 168.5 505.4 Source: Central Banks

US$8.15 trillion Government Debt Cancelled Thus Far Central Bank Holdings Of Government Debt Converted into US Dollars, billions US$ Exchange Rate US$ billions BOE 375 billion 1.3 488 BOJ Yen 368 trillion 100 3,700 ECB Euro 1,326 billion 1.13 1,500 Fed $2,462 billion 2,462 Total 8,150 This total is scheduled to increase by US$1 trillion over the next 6 months. Source: The BOE, BOJ, ECB, Fed

The Amount Of Government Debt Cancelled* So Far Central Bank Holdings Of Government Debt As a % of Total Government Debt: Source: RD es>mates * Effec>vely Cancelled BOE 25% BOJ 35% ECB 12% Fed 13% Note: The numbers for the BOJ and ECB are slightly overstated because some of the assets they have acquired are corporate bonds (but only a small part). The importance of the Fed s QE is understated because in addi>on to owning US$2.5 trillion of government bonds, the Fed also owns $1.7 trillion of asset-backed mortgage debt.

4. Infla\on Infla>on also affects interest rates. If the infla>on rate goes up, the demand for bonds will go down unless the yield offered on those bonds increases. No one will lend money for 3% if the infla>on rate is 5%. In recent years the Infla>on Rate has been excep>onally low despite all the money that the central banks have been prin>ng.

Source: St Louis Fed 1.6% in Oct. 2016

What Could Cause Infla\on To Rise? Infla>on has fallen since the early 1980s because increasing trade with low wage countries has pushed down US wages and the price of consumer goods. Now, however, if the US imports less from low wage countries, the price of manufactured goods will rise, US wages will rise, and infla>on will rise. Forcing companies to bring their factories back to the United States or imposing trade tariffs on imported goods would cause infla>on to increase. Increased government spending could also cause infla>on to pick up.

5. The Chinese RMB Finally, the value of the RMB could also impact US interest rates. The United States will import nearly Half A Trillion Dollars worth of goods from China this year. If the RMB con>nues to weaken against the Dollar, those imports will become cheaper and put downward pressure on US infla>on rates. If the RMB were to strengthen (which is unlikely), then that would put upward pressure on US infla>on. Of course, if the US puts trade tariffs on Chinese goods, that would cause a spike in the US infla>on rate, which would push up US interest rates. By the way, in 2015 the US imported $483 billion of goods from China and exported $116 billion of goods to China, resul>ng in a US trade deficit with China of $367 billion - or roughly $1 billion a day.

10.0 9.0 8.0 7.0 6.0 5.0 4.0 3.0 2.0 1.0 The Great China Boom was fuelled by a very weak currency. It fell for decades un\l 1994. Chinese RMB per Dollar 1980 to December 2016 From 2006 to 2013, the RMB appreciated. But, now, it is falling again. 0.0 01/2016 01/2014 01/2012 01/2010 01/2008 01/2006 01/2004 01/2002 01/2000 01/1998 01/1996 01/1994 01/1992 01/1990 01/1988 01/1986 01/1984 01/1982 01/1980 Source: CEIC

The US Trade Deficit Is To Blame President Trump believes the US trade deficit has been responsible for the loss of manufacturing jobs in the United States and the downward pressure on US wages that has occurred over the last several decades. I agree. I ve wri-en about the harm the US trade deficit has done to the United States and about the destabilizing impact it s had on the global economy in all three of my books.

The Dollar Crisis Here are the opening lines from my first book, The Dollar Crisis: The principle flaw in the post-bre-on Woods interna>onal monetary system is its inability to prevent large-scale trade imbalances. The theme of The Dollar Crisis is that those imbalances have destabilized the global economy by crea>ng a worldwide credit bubble.

Not Easy However, unwinding the US trade deficit is going to be very difficult. Over the past 35 years, that deficit has become THE driver of global economic growth. In fact, the en>re global economy has been constructed around unbalanced trade. At this point, the a-empt to eliminate the US trade deficit could very easily cause the global economy to collapse into a new Great Depression.

100,000 0-100,000-200,000-300,000-400,000-500,000-600,000-700,000-800,000 US Current Account Balance US$ Millions, 1960 to 2015 From the early 1980s, the US Current Account Deficit became THE driver of global economic growth. As long as the deficit expanded, the global economy prospered. -900,000 2014 2012 2010 2008 2006 2004 2002 2000 1998 1996 1994 1992 1990 1988 1986 1984 1982 1980 1978 1976 1974 1972 1970 1968 1966 1964 1962 1960 Source: Bureau of Economic Analysis

The Undesirable Consequences of Elimina\ng The Trade Deficit 1. If the US reduces its imports, the global economy will shrink. 2. If the US eliminates its $1 billion a day trade deficit with China, China s economy could collapse into a depression that would severely impact all of China s trading partners, and poten>ally lead to social instability within China and to military conflict between China, its neighbors and the US. 3. If the US Current Account deficit returns to balance, the global economy will suffer from insufficient Dollar liquidity, which could cause economic stagna>on or worse. 4. A reduc>on of imports from low wage countries would cause US infla>on to rise, which would push up US interest rates.

3,000,000 2,500,000 2,000,000 US Imports & Exports US$ Millions, 1990 to 2015 When the US buys less from the rest of the world, the rest of the world buys less from the US. 1,500,000 1,000,000 500,000 If US Imports fall, US Exports will fall, too. 0 2015 2014 2013 2012 2011 2010 2009 2008 2007 2006 2005 2004 2003 2002 2001 2000 1999 1998 1997 1996 1995 1994 1993 1992 1991 1990 Exports of goods and services Imports of goods and services Source: Bureau of Economic Analysis

2,500,000 2,000,000 1,500,000 1,000,000 China's Exports & Imports US$ Millions, 1990 to 2015 When China Exports less, it Imports less. And when China imports less, commodity prices fall, hur\ng the economies and currencies of the commodity producing countries all around the world. Exports Imports 500,000 0 2015 2014 2013 2012 2011 2010 2009 2008 2007 2006 2005 2004 2003 2002 2001 2000 1999 1998 1997 1996 1995 1994 1993 1992 1991 1990 Source: CEIC

If China s Economy Implodes China s economy is already verging on crisis. It has massive excess capacity across prac>cally every industry. So, product prices are falling, companies are loss-making and the banking system is stuffed with unrecoverable loans. If China s trade surplus were eliminated, the nega>ve impact on China s economy would be devasta>ng. In all likelihood, China would experience a severe depression, that could threaten the rule of the Communist Party. China might respond militarily just as Japan did at Pearl Harbor arer the US imposed an oil embargo on Japan in 1941. No one should underes>mate the damage that could result from an economic crisis in China.

Global Liquidity Would Dry Up When the world was on the gold standard, global liquidity depended on the discovery of new gold mines. Some>mes there was too much gold (16 th Century Europe, which caused infla>on) and some>mes not enough (late 19 th Century America, which caused defla>on). But under The Dollar Standard, global liquidity is determined by the quan>ty of Dollars in the global economy; and the principal way in which Dollars are injected into the global economy is through the US Current Account deficit. If the US Current Account Deficit were eliminated, the supply of Dollar liquidity would be too >ght to support economic expansion. That would probably result in global economic stagna>on or worse.

The Undesirable Consequences of Elimina\ng The Trade Deficit 5. The elimina>on of the Current Account deficit would cause a sharp reduc>on in capital inflows into the US, which would also cause US interest rates to rise. 6. Higher interest rates would cause credit to contract and the US economy to go into recession. 7. Higher interest rates would also cause a sharp fall in US asset prices. That, too, would also cause the economy to go into recession. 8. Higher interest rates could cause a wave of credit defaults in the US and around the world, poten>ally leading to a new systemic financial sector crisis.

A Be5er Way For all of these reasons, I m very concerned that it will not be possible to eliminate the US trade deficit without causing the global economic bubble to implode into a new great depression. Rather than a-emp>ng to eliminate the deficit, it would be wiser for the Trump Administra>on to allow the deficit to persist, but to pursue policies that would increase aggregate demand in the countries the US trades with and also in the United States itself.

A Be5er Way For instance, the US could enact policies that would force China to increase wages in its manufacturing sector. That would increase China s demand for US goods without causing a crisis in China. At home, the US government could sharply increase its investment in new industries and technologies. That would boost US purchasing power and growth and, that investment could be financed at very low interest rates thanks to the defla>onary pressures and the capital inflows resul>ng for the US trade deficits.

Conclusions The proposals outlined thus far by President Trump suggest that: 1. The budget deficit would grow larger (due to tax cuts and increase government spending); 2. The current account deficit would shrink (due to renego>a>ng trade deals, bringing US factory jobs back to the US and possibly trade tariffs); 3. And infla>on would pick up (due to increased government spending, higher US wages, pressure on China to push up the RMB and, possibly, tariffs).

A Recipe For Disaster If those policies really are adopted, they would be a recipe for disaster because they would push US interest rates significantly higher and that would pop the global economic bubble. If it pops, it may be possible to reflate it again with even larger amounts of Quan>ta>ve Easing. On the other hand, it might not be, in which case the world could be plunged into a new Great Depression. In that scenario, massive wealth destruc>on would only be the beginning of our problems. Our poli>cal ins>tu>ons would probably not survive the strain.