The Aftermath: Credit Suisses Lifeline and Consumer Spending

<p>In a morning where more banking turmoil emerged and stocks opened sharply lower on Wall Street, traders shifted pricing to indicate that the Fed may hold the line when it meets March 21-22. According to CME Group data, the probability for no rate hike shot up to as high as 65%. Trading was volatile, though, and the latest moves suggested nearly a 50-50 split between no rate hike and a 0.25 percentage point move. Chairman Jerome Powell and his fellow policymakers will resolve the question over raising rates by watching macroeconomic reports that continue to flow in, as well as data from regional banks and their share prices that could provide larger clues about the health of the financial sector.</p><p>In this episode of The Higher Standard, Chris and Saied examine this news and determine the effect it will have on the economy as a whole.</p><p><br></p><p>They discuss the Census Bureau's most recent Household Pulse survey, which indicates that about 36% of consumers say it has been "somewhat" to "very difficult" for them to pay their usual bills in the last seven days.</p><p><br></p><p>Chris and Saied look at data from the Labor Department, revealing that inflation rose in February but was in line with expectations, likely keeping the Federal Reserve on track for another interest rate hike next week despite recent banking industry turmoil. The consumer price index increased 0.4% for the month, putting the annual inflation rate at 6%.</p><p><br></p><p>They also offer some thoughts on news that Credit Suisse Group AG is borrowing up to 50 billion Swiss francs, equivalent to $53.7 billion, from the Swiss central bank to shore up its liquidity, capping a day in which fears about the health of global banks leapfrogged to Europe from North America and the giant lender’s shares dropped as much as 24%.</p><p><br></p><p>Join Chris and Saied for this fascinating and informative conversation.</p><p><br></p><p>Enjoy!</p><p><br></p><p><strong>What You’ll Learn in this Show:</strong></p><ul><li>Why the CPI will likely contin