100 Days In: Trump’s ‘Strategic Uncertainty’ on Tariffs Leaves Markets Guessing

Published: 04-29-2025, 05:45 pm | Updated: 04-29-2025, 10:55 am Consumer debt has reached an all-time high of over $18 trillion nationally, with the average family owing more than $100,000. The situation has become so dire that services like DoorDash now offer “buy now, pay later” options for meals. Default rates are climbing, particularly among vulnerable populations. While federal relief seems unlikely, some states are addressing medical debt through legislation, and some localities are using COVID funds to buy up medical debt. More ambitious solutions like the Poor People’s Campaign’s “Jubilee Platform” to cancel various debts for low-income Americans face significant

Published: 04-29-2025, 04:45 pm | Updated: 04-29-2025, 10:35 am The Federal Reserve faces a difficult challenge balancing two opposing economic threats: rising prices due to new tariffs and increasing unemployment. This combination risks “stagflation” – a dangerous economic condition where inflation increases while job growth weakens. Fed Chairman Jerome Powell has chosen a wait-and-see approach for now, but history shows stagflation is extremely difficult to resolve. Similar to the 1970s crisis, today’s economy faces external price shocks (tariffs instead of oil prices) while consumers are already struggling. For investors, stagflation creates a challenging environment where both stocks and bonds typically

Published: 04-29-2025, 03:15 pm | Updated: 04-29-2025, 10:15 am President Trump recently hinted he might fire Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell before his term ends next year, citing disagreements over interest rate policies. Powell maintains such a dismissal is illegal, and markets reacted negatively to the suggestion. Harvard Law Professor Daniel Tarullo, a former Fed Board member, explains there are two key legal questions: whether the Fed Chair position has “for cause” removal protection, and whether the Supreme Court would uphold presidential removal power over independent agency officials. Tarullo notes that while the Supreme Court has been expanding executive authority,