Morning Market Download from Invincible Money
Personal finance + economics + markets
Staying on top of the markets, economics and the global issues that affect your money takes a lot of time and effort. We distill it down to a quick 5 minute read to help you make better money decisions.
EconomyTravel seems to be recovering as flights are mostly full already for the summer travel season. Delta has sold 75% of their seats already. Americans want to go where there are fewer Americans this year. The Balkans is a new favorite, which I agree with, having done a road trip there. Highly recommend!
NewsCould the U.S. see riots similar to what we're seeing in Paris? That's a questions I've been asking myself. First, having lived in Paris for several years, I know that Parisian's love to protest, so that's nothing new. However, Social Security in the U.S. is set to right out of money in 2033, unless changes are made. By 2040, 20% of Americans will be older than 65, up from 16% now.
The second UFO hearing in 50 years is happening this week as Congress tries to get to the bottom of all the sightings the past year years. Ever since 2017 when a lot of classified video of UFOs taken by the Navy were published, there's more interest than ever in finding out what they are, for both national security and curiosity.
Tax day is today and the question of where the U.S. could default on its increasing debt will come into focus as numbers of tax revenue collected are reported. We'll see how much cash is available to fund the $31.4B debt ceiling, which will indicate how big the fight will be to raise the debt ceiling.
House speaker McCarthy said yesterday they would soon vote to increase the debt ceiling for 1 year and seek to slow spending increases to 1% yearly. Treasury Sec. Yellen said she was forced to take "extraordinary measures" to fund the government until early June, afterwhich the debt ceiling will need to be raised to avoid default.
StocksAfter losing $6B off their market cap just last week after partnering with influencer Dylan Mulvaney, Anheuser-Busch's CEO published a statement on Friday stating they didn't intend to get into a conversation that would divide people. Yesterday, the company ran a very pro-traditional America ad on Twitter, full of clydesdales, the Grand Canyon and other American icons. Both moves have been widely derided online. The stock (BUD) has recovered slightly.
CryptoOne of the crypto narratives is that the U.S. will have to resume printing money to avoid defaulting on its increasing debt, so the debt ceiling discussions, plus the tax receipts, are both something to watch.
Personal FinanceMany young adults are ignoring their finances. Young people are more likely to pay late fees or take credit card advances. Debt for Gen Z went up 40% on average in March, while "only" 29% for millennials. Psychologists say financial avoidance is typical in young people of any generation, however, it may be worse due to the affects of the pandemic, rising interest rates and a generation that loves to spend to relieve anxiety.
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U.S. government debt to GDP ratio data is updated quarterly - from March 1969 to Dec 2022. The ratio reached an all-time high of 132.4% in March 2021 and a low of 31.*% in Sept 1974. There is some debate over how much is too high, but most agree we're going in the wrong direction.
Legal StuffNothing in this newsletter is financial advice. Always do your own research and think for yourself.