Alternative Visions - Fed Decides Recession: How Deep? How Soon?

The Federal Reserve’s decision this past to raise interest rates immediately by half percent—to be followed by further half percent hikes in June & July and still more increases the rest of the year—means Capitalist economic policy is now to precipitate a recession in order to deal with rising inflation. The question now is not whether, but when, recession comes in the US. Will it be before the end of this year, or early next. And how deep will it go? Dr. Rasmus describes the current Anatomy of Recession in the US: global and domestic supply chain problems that emerged last summer 2021 + monopolistic US corporations price gouging + commodities inflation due to US war sanctions on Russia this year + business productivity collapse leading to pass through of their rising labor costs + emerging inflationary expectations. All together ensure continued inflation in 2022. Rasmus discusses whether the Fed can address these mostly Supply side causes successfully. The US experience of 1981-82 recession is compared to 2022. Can Fed destruction of household-consumer Demand again today achieve inflation control? How deep a recession precipitated by Fed interest rates be required?  What’s happening in the stock markets with its wide 1000 point daily swings? Why a ‘soft landing’ of the US economy won’t occur, given the already 1st quarter contraction of the US GDP and concurrent slowdowns in China, Europe and emerging market economies as Fed rate hikes drive up the dollar and ‘export’ recessions abroad.