Finance, Currency, Debt, National Budgets & Interest Rates Archives

Trump Administration Moves to Establish Federal Rules for Crypto Markets

6Oct

By Patti MohrNo Comments

Capitalism, Finance, Currency, Debt, National Budgets & Interest Rates, Types of News: Brief

Trump Administration Moves to Establish Federal Rules for Crypto Markets

Following Trump's Directive, the CFTC and SEC Request Public Feedback on Proposed Rulemaking The Commodity Futures Trading Commission has begun the process of establishing a federal regulatory framework for cryptocurrency markets. It follows a similar draft proposal by the Securities and Exchange Commission. Both proposed rules are now available for public review and comment. The crypto industry is one of the most active in Washington, DC, not only in terms of financing campaign activity in the run-up to the midterm elections, but also in shaping policy. President Trump is actively engaged in promoting the cryptocurrency industry. He hosted crypto and stock trading executives at the White House ahead of the CFTC meeting in August. Attendees included Coinbase CEO Brian Armstrong, R...

Crypto, AI, and Israel All Spending Big to Influence U.S. Elections

6Oct

By Patti MohrNo Comments

Big Tech, Digital Economy, Democracy, Domestic Politics, Finance, Currency, Debt, National Budgets & Interest Rates, Types of News: Analysis, United States

Crypto, AI, and Israel All Spending Big to Influence U.S. Elections

Spending by political action committees far outpaces what candidates running for office can and do spend. Follow the Money: PACs Lead Spending in the 2026 Midterms October 5, 2026—Campaign finance is where powerful interests intersect with government. The money spent does not just influence elections, it can also shape policies affecting society as a whole. In terms of money flowing through the campaign-finance system, political action committees (PACs) direct nearly three times as much money as candidates running for reelection or office. That concentration of money gives PACs considerable potential influence over which candidates reach—and remain in—office. The Power of the PAC Purse In terms of spending, candidates for office paid out$2 billion, while PACs reported $6.5 b...

DOJ Not Reopening Investigation into Former Fed Chair Powell

3Oct

By Patti MohrNo Comments

Finance, Currency, Debt, National Budgets & Interest Rates

DOJ Not Reopening Investigation into Former Fed Chair Powell

Federal Reserve Employed 'Insufficient' Oversight of $2.5 Billion Renovations October 3, 2026— Following the release of an inspector general report into renovations at the Federal Reserve under former chair Jerome Powell’s leadership, the case is effectively closed and will not be reopened. The Fed’s watchdog concluded that the central bank failed to manage the costs of the five-year construction project effectively. It produced a 121-page report detailing cost overruns and insufficient oversight and includes a letter by the current Fed Chair Kevin Warsh to make changes. In April, Jeanine Pirro, the U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia, closed a criminal investigation into the Federal Reserve that the DOJ started in January. The department’s subpoenas of the central bank were ...

US Bond Yields Rise Again as China Competes for Capital

29Sep

By Patti MohrNo Comments

Finance, Currency, Debt, National Budgets & Interest Rates, Types of News: Brief

US Bond Yields Rise Again as China Competes for Capital

September 29, 2026—U.S. borrowing costs climbed even further on Tuesday, as the yields on the 10-year and 30-year Treasury bonds rose to 5.26 and 5.59, respectively. That brings the 30-year bond to the highest level since 2002. The rising yield not only raises the interest payments on the U.S. national debt of $40 trillion, it also makes borrowing costs higher for consumer loans on mortgages and cars. Today, the average interest rate for a 30-year fixed mortgage is 7.25 percent. That is up a full percentage point in a year. Lenders typically use Treasury’s 10-year note as a baseline for credit vehicles. Surging sovereign debt has fueled a sell-off in long-term debt, despite efforts by officials to calm markets. Investors are looking elsewhere, including in stocks of AI-driven compani...

BRICS, De-Dollarization and the Future of the US Dollar

25Sep

By Patti MohrNo Comments

Diplomacy and International Law, Finance, Currency, Debt, National Budgets & Interest Rates, Geopolitics, Organizations, IMF, WTO, G7, UN Security Council, Types of News: Analysis

BRICS, De-Dollarization and the Future of the US Dollar

September 25, 2026—The model of a U.S.-led global economy, long established since the start of the 1944 Bretton Woods system, is coming under significant strain. It is not just wars disrupting freedom of navigation and the price of oil causing cracks in the system. Nor is it only a reflection of the mounting U.S. debt and annual deficits. It is also a growing movement towards multilateralism. What gives that momentum are shifts toward competing financial infrastructures, new geopolitical alliances, and novel methods of settling cross-border payments. These pose challenges to the existing order and the dollar-dominated trading system. In the past month, we’ve witnessed the greatest acceleration this change. We see new strategic alliances, less trust in the U.S. defense, and a ground-up i...

Geopolitics Driving Bond Yields Higher, Fed Chair Says

17Sep

By Patti MohrNo Comments

Finance, Currency, Debt, National Budgets & Interest Rates, Types of News: Videos

Geopolitics Driving Bond Yields Higher, Fed Chair Says

September 16, 2026—Citing geopolitical shocks and elevated inflation, the Federal Reserve Board voted unanimously to raise federal funds interest rates by 0.25 percent to 4 percent. It was the first time the Fed raised interest rates in three years. It comes under the new leadership of Federal Reserve Chair Kevin Warsh. For more on the Fed's decision, see Fed Raises Rates. https://youtu.be/5aFzaFqOByU?si=8rtMx6YuZ6a_Rau2

Fed Raises Rates, Citing Geopolitical Shocks and High Prices

16Sep

By Patti MohrNo Comments

Finance, Currency, Debt, National Budgets & Interest Rates, Types of News: Brief

Fed Raises Rates, Citing Geopolitical Shocks and High Prices

September 16, 2026—Citing geopolitical shocks and elevated inflation, the Federal Reserve Board voted unanimously to raise federal funds interest rates by 0.25 percent to 4 percent. It was the first time the Fed raised interest rates in three years. It comes under the new leadership of Federal Reserve Chair Kevin Warsh. September 16, 2026—Citing geopolitical shocks and elevated inflation, the Federal Reserve Board voted unanimously to raise federal funds interest rates by 0.25 percent to 4 percent. It was the first time the Fed raised interest rates in three years. It comes under the new leadership of Federal Reserve Chair Kevin Warsh. It comes as the inflation rate ticked up in August to 0.4 percent and the government projected a Consumer Price Index of 3.4 percent, driven largely b...

10Sep

By Patti MohrNo Comments

Democracy, Finance, Currency, Debt, National Budgets & Interest Rates, Types of News: Brief, United States

Ahead of U.S. Midterm Elections, Trump Floats $5,000 Giveaway to Voters

President Donald Trump is testing the limits of U.S. election law and his popularity while promising cash to voters for wins. An Update on the U.S. Midterm Elections Outlook September 10, 2026—In what appears to be a desperate attempt to win political support ahead of the November midterm elections, President Donald Trump vowed to give every U.S. adult citizen $5,000 from the U.S. Treasury’s general fund if his Republican party maintains control of Congress. “Only I can make this promise to you, and here is my promise: If the Republicans win the House of Representatives and the United States Senate, both of them, because of our economic, tremendous economic success, like in history we’ve never had anything like what’s happening. But because of our tremendous strength and success,...

U.S. Economy: Bessent May Tap U.S. Treasury’s General Account to Buy Bonds

24Aug

By Patti MohrNo Comments

Finance, Currency, Debt, National Budgets & Interest Rates, Global Economics, Types of News: Brief, United States

U.S. Economy: Bessent May Tap U.S. Treasury’s General Account to Buy Bonds

As U.S. Debt Tops $40 Trillion, Debt-Holders Demand Higher Yields August 24, 2026—One of the most notable effects of soaring U.S. national debt are the rising yields on Treasury’s long-term bond market. Bond investors are simply no longer willing to invest in U.S. long-term debt unless the risk premium on those bonds pay higher yields. Since July, yields on Treasury’s long-term bonds have steadily risen. The 10-year and 20-year bonds rose climbed above 5.2 and 5.25, up from 4.7 and 4.74 earlier this year. Meanwhile, the 30-year bond rose by 11.49 percent in the past six months, up to 5.23 percent today. When it peaked at 5.30 percent earlier in the month, it was a two-decade high. That might not seem significant to everyone, but interest rates on long-term debt impact everything f...

US Attorney Drops Criminal Probe Against Federal Reserve

24Apr

By Patti MohrNo Comments

Finance, Currency, Debt, National Budgets & Interest Rates, Types of News: Brief, United States

US Attorney Drops Criminal Probe Against Federal Reserve

Trump and Powell tour Federal Reserve headquarters, where renovations are taking place, in July 2025. Updates: As of October 3, 2026, Following the release of an inspector general report into renovations at the Federal Reserve under former chair Jerome Powell’s leadership, the case is effectively closed and will not be reopened. April 24, 2026—Jeanine Pirro, the U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia, announced today that she is closing a criminal investigation into the Federal Reserve. Pirro wrote on X that someone has asked the Inspector General of the central bank to “scrutinize the building costs overruns” to settle questions. The criminal probe is part of a larger politicalization of the Justice Department under President Donald Trump. It has also been characterized as a...