The most decisive factor in the implementation of the Trump economic plan is the reaction of the Federal Reserve. While a Fed rate hike in December is a certainty, the path of rates in 2017 following the December hike will be dispositive with regard to the success or failure of Trump’s plans.
The Role of the Federal Reserve
The Fed can choose to be highly accommodative in the face of Trump’s larger deficits. In effect, the Fed will not anticipate inflation, but will wait until it actually emerges. Actual inflation is still well below the Fed’s target inflation rate of 2%. Since the Fed is targeting average inflation of 2%, it could allow inflation to run above 2% for a while, which would be consistent with 2% average inflation, given today’s lower level.
The Fed also seeks negative real rates as a kind of stimulus measure. Negative real rates exist when the rate of inflation is higher than the nominal interest rate. This condition can exist at any level of nominal rates. For example, inflation of 3% with nominal rates of 2.5% produces a negative real rate of 0.5%.
Likewise, inflation of 4% with nominal rates of 3.5% produces the same negative real rate of 0.5%. No doubt the Fed does not want inflation of 3.5%. However, they can achieve negative real rates at any level by using financial repression to put a lid on nominal interest rates.
This post was published at Wall Street Examiner on December 5, 2016.
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