Episode 522: Disinteresting Rates
Show notes
What's the deal with bonds and interest rates? Find out on Words & Numbers, where we will use both words and numbers to get to the bottom of things.
0:00 Introduction and Episode Preview
0:42 Free Speech and the First Amendment
7:45 Rutgers Dean Caught Recording Students
09:55 Renaming the Great Lakes “Lake America”
11:41 Foolishness of the Week: George Santos Gets Banned From Kalshi
14:27 Is the Government Running Out of Places to Borrow?
20:24 Why Treasury Investors Are Demanding Higher Returns
22:10 The Federal Debt and the Interest Rate Spiral
24:06 Can the Government Tax Its Way Out of the Deficit?
26:24 Will the Government Eventually Monetize the Debt?
27:43 The Federal Reserve vs. the Treasury
33:05 Scott Bessent’s Plan to Push Interest Rates Down
36:42 Is the Treasury Gambling on Short-Term Debt?
41:37 Is the Treasury Trying to Conduct Monetary Policy?
44:38 Are We Seeing the Beginning of a U.S. Debt Crisis?
49:03 Can Social Security Force Congress to Confront the Debt?
51:35 Closing Thoughts: Find an Excuse to Be Nice