SPECIAL REPORT: An 'Uncertain' Fed Slows Quantitative Tightening | Axel Merk

Portfolio manager Lance Roberts joins me for a special report making sense of yesterday's announced "Liberation Day" tariffs.Live Q&A will be taken from the audience in the back half of the discussion

Today's guest had one of the best track records last year in forecasting key economic indicators like rates of inflation and unemployment.Now that we have a new Administration in place, one aggressively deploying disruptive economic policy changes, where does she see the key indicators heading from here?To find out, we have the good fortune to talk today with Dr Anna Wong, Chief U.S. Economist for Bloomberg Economics. Prior to her current role, Anna also worked at the Federal Reserve Board, the White House Council of Economics Advisers, and the U.S. Treasury.Anna is concerned that the decelerating economy is at risk of becoming a slow-motion train wreck, which the recent Liberation Day slew of new tariffs will only exacerbate. It wouldn't surprise her to see the S&P lose an additional 30% of its market value from here as the year continues.WORRIED ABOUT THE MARKET? SCHEDULE YOUR FREE PORTFOLIO REVIEW with Thoughtful Money's endorsed financial advisors at https://www.thoughtfulmoney.com

The Trump Administration's torrent of tariffs is keeping stocks on edge as "Liberation Day" approaches on April 2nd.Today I sit down with Jonathan Wellum, of Rocklinc Investment Partners up in Canada, to discuss how to invest through such market uncertainty.Jonathan gives a valuable perspective on the Trump tariffs from a country on the receiving end of them.And he provides his firm's latest guidance for investing in the precious metals sector during the bull run in gold & silver we're experiencing now.WORRIED ABOUT THE MARKET? SCHEDULE YOUR FREE PORTFOLIO REVIEW with Thoughtful Money's endorsed financial advisors at https://www.thoughtfulmoney.com

Over recent years, today's expert has consistently been one of the best predictors of where the inflation rate was headed.So, where does he see it heading from here? How about interest rates?And, why is he calling the Federal Reserve an "engine of income inequality?To find out, we have the good fortune to sit down and get a full update today from Steve Hanke, professor of applied economics at the Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Maryland.WORRIED ABOUT THE MARKET? SCHEDULE YOUR FREE PORTFOLIO REVIEW with Thoughtful Money's endorsed financial advisors at https://www.thoughtfulmoney.com

Wall Street likes predictability.And that's proving quite elusive these days.Which explains why stocks have been performing poorly of late.Too many curveballs, many thrown by the new Trump Administration's ever-changing tariff policies, are making it nearly impossible for analysts to make earnings forecasts that aren't completely outdated by the next morning's news cycle.Does that mean stocks will continue struggling from here?It's quite possible, says portfolio manager Lance Roberts. Technical analysis still suggests stocks are short-term oversold and could bounce soon...but if the curveballs keep coming as fast & furiously as they have been, that uncertainty could keep a sustained rally from happening.We discuss this, the latest PCE and personal spending data, DOGE and debt, credit spreads, gold and Lance's firm's recent trades in this new Market Recap.WORRIED ABOUT THE MARKET? SCHEDULE YOUR FREE PORTFOLIO REVIEW with Thoughtful Money's endorsed financial advisors at https://www.thoughtfulmoney.com

There's a lot of debate right now whether the US is indeed at risk of entering a recession this year.And at the same time, the stock market has become a lot more volatile, swinging between Risk On and Risk Off as Wall Street sentiment becomes increasingly bipolar.Who is more likely to be proven right this year: the optimists or the pessimists?For answers, we turn to the experience and wisdom of financial advisor Ted Oakley, managing partner & founder of Oxbow Advisors.Ted has over 40 years experience helping clients, mostly high net worth families, protect and build wealth through good times and bad. We'll find out how he's currently positioning his clients assets for the road ahead.

SCHEDULE YOUR FREE PORTFOLIO REVIEW with Thoughtful Money's endorsed financial advisors at https://www.thoughtfulmoney.comMacro & market analyst Stephanie Pomboy shares the latest investing trends that have her attention + takes live Q&A from the viewing audience

After embracing the "no landing narrative" last year and later unleashing animal spirits after the Presidential election that drove stocks to record levels of euphoria, the national mood has turned substantially more dour.Suddenly, the headlines are filled with fears of recession.The post-COVID higher cost of living and the uncertainty caused by the new Administration's policies has many fearing for their household budgets, their portfolios, and their jobs.Are things really this bad?After all, the economy is still growing, inflation has moderated (mostly), and unemployment remains low.When there are so many crosscurrents as there are today, it's prudent to seek the counsel of those who take. cold and calculated look at the data, to see what "is" vs what our biases may want us to see.Which is why we're fortunate to speak with macro analyst Wolf Richter of WolfStreet.com, who will share with us what the charts he regularly compiles are telling him about the true state of today's economy & markets._____________________________________________ Thoughtful Money LLC is a Registered Investment Advisor Promoter.We produce educational content geared for the individual investor. It’s important to note that this content is NOT investment advice, individual or otherwise, nor should be construed as such.We recommend that most investors, especially if inexperienced, should consider benefiting from the direction and guidance of a qualified financial advisor in good standing with the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) who can develop & implement a personalized financial plan based on a customer’s unique goals, needs & risk tolerance.IMPORTANT NOTE: There are risks associated with investing in securities.Investing in stocks, bonds, exchange traded funds, mutual funds, and money market funds involve risk of loss. Loss of principal is possible. Some high risk investments may use leverage, which will accentuate gains & losses. Foreign investing involves special risks, including a greater volatility and political, economic and currency risks and differences in accounting methods.A security’s or a firm’s past investment performance is not a guarantee or predictor of future investment performance.Thoughtful Money and the Thoughtful Money logo are trademarks of Thoughtful Money LLC.Copyright © 2025 Thoughtful Money LLC. All rights reserved.

To better understand the odds for success of the economic policies of the new Trump Administration, it helps to talk to someone with first-hand experience in managing the Federal budget.Today's guest, has been a true insider in both Washington DC and Wall Street for his extremely long & accomplished career.We're fortunate today to speak with former Congressman, economic policymaker & financier, David Stockman -- who served a the Director of the Office of Management and Budget under President Ronald Reagan.He's also the author of the new book: 'How To Cut $2 Trillion: A Blueprint From Ronald Reagan’s Budget Cutter To Musk, Ramaswamy And The DOGE Team'.We'll hear his advice for bringing the runaway fiscal deficit under control, and whether he thinks the Administration is indeed up to the task.WORRIED ABOUT THE MARKET? SCHEDULE YOUR FREE PORTFOLIO REVIEW with Thoughtful Money's endorsed financial advisors at https://www.thoughtfulmoney.com

Yesterday, the S&P 500 (barely) broke a 4-week losing streak of down weeks.On a technical level, stocks remain extremely oversold here and sentiment is similarly at a negative extreme.As portfolio manager Lance Roberts notes, conditions like these are ripe for a market reversal. In his opinion, the odds favor a rally in the near term -- perhaps as soon as next week.We discuss the reasons why, as well as the latest Fed guidance, the true risk of recession, bonds, Tesla, and Lance's firm's latest trades in this Weekly Market Recap.