The result, overall, is an asset-based recovery, not a Main Street recovery. Yes, the economy is growing again, but the surge in productivity is a mirage. Worker output per hour is skyrocketing because companies are generating almost as much output with fewer workers and fewer hours. The Fed, meanwhile, has become an enabler to all this, making it as cheap as possible for companies to axe their employees. Money costs so little these days it’s easy to substitute capital for labor. It’s also easy to buy up foreign assets with cheap American money. And it’s now blissfully easy for Wall Street to borrow money almost free and buy all sorts of interests in foreign assets, especially commodities. Thats why were seeing the prices of foreign commodities and other assets go through the roof. At the same time, the Treasury continues to be fixated on keeping banks afloat. The Administrations mortgage mitigation efforts are lagging. Small businesses are starved of credit. The White House has announced a “jobs summit,” which is better than nothing but not nearly as good as pushiing immediately for a larger stimulus, a new jobs tax credit, and a WPA-style jobs program. The Fed and the Teasury have, in effect, placed a huge bet on a recovery driven by asset prices. That’s a bad bet. The great disconnect between the stock market and jobs is pushing stock prices way out of line with the real economy. This isnt sustainable.
via Robert Reichs Blog: The Great Disconnect Between Stocks and Jobs.
via Robert Reichs Blog: The Great Disconnect Between Stocks and Jobs.
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