interest rates

Interest rates influence mortgages, stocks, currencies, hiring, inflation, government debt, and startup funding. This guide explains the transmission mechanism.

Inflation is hard to stop because it feeds itself: rising prices push workers to demand higher wages, which push prices higher still. Here's the full mechanism — the wage-price spiral, self-fulfilling expectations, and why central bank tools work with long and variable lags.

Yield curve inversion explained: why it's predicted every US recession since 1969, the 2s/10s spread, and whether the signal is breaking down.

How HYSAs work, current 4-5% rates, FDIC insurance, and how they compare to CDs, T-bills, and money market funds for parking cash safely.

How central banks work: the Fed, ECB, Bank of England, and Bank of Japan set interest rates, run QE and QT, and why independence matters, with sources.

Inflation rankings change quickly and depend on the measure. This guide explains CPI, headline versus core inflation, food and energy shocks, currency depreciation, central-bank policy and why a lower rate does not mean prices fell.

High household debt is not a complete risk ranking. This guide explains debt-to-income, debt-to-GDP, debt-service ratios, mortgage structure, household balance sheets and why the distribution of borrowing matters.