Household Debt Didn't Deter Lenders

While I rarely advocate increasing deficits, the current economic picture requires extreme measures. With individuals and companies locked out of the credit markets, the risks are massive. As we have seen in the last six weeks, financial markets are awakening to these risks, and the results have been brutal. With the focus on the Treasury's most recent band aid, the Dow Jones Industrial Average (Dow) has dropped below 10,000 while volatility continues to soar. Buying bad assets may help eliminate uncertainty, but it does not guarantee that credit markets unclog and lending continues. Instead, we need more drastic actions to stem asset deflation.

Our infrastructure has fallen into disrepair and needs updating. An expansion of both education and health care services would be easily justified to the American people. Tax incentives for research and development would increase employment and innovation. Combined, the federal government would be using its borrowing capacity as a way to reinflate the economy, raise asset prices and increase our standard of living.

Normally, I would never advocate inflation to cure our economic ills. These are not ordinary times. Given the size of the problems and the effect it is having, failing to take an inflationary path will lead to, at best, a deep recession and increase the possibility of a severe depression that will affect the entire country and thus, the world.

If I am correct about the need and intent of the government to inflate the economy, the investment implications are many. In an inflationary environment, Treasury bonds will suffer. Currently, the two-year Treasury pays 1.45% and the 10 year Treasury pays 3.49%. The initial steps of an orchestrated increase in inflation will be led by a Federal Reserve interest rate reduction. When it occurs, you should expect Treasury yields to decline further. At that moment, I would exit these positions as increasing inflation will erode the value of the bonds.