A reader asks:

With out stepping into the politics of throwing the U.S. authorities into default the menace could be very actual. How bout a dialogue of how ought to retirees place themselves to guard their portfolio? Us previous guys don’t have years to get better from a political sabotage of the markets and the economic system. You recognize previous people learn and take heed to your stuff too!

Clearly, the markets don’t appear to care concerning the debt ceiling debate proper now.

As of this writing, the S&P 500 is up virtually 9% yr thus far. The Nasdaq 100 is up 17% in 2023. Bonds are additionally rallying.

I believe a part of the rationale markets don’t appear to care is we’ve all been by means of this earlier than and know that it’s principally political theater.

The debt ceiling debate makes politicians really feel vital. They use it as a negotiating ploy to cross or block different laws. It’s leverage.

Might we see some loopy politician take issues too far in some unspecified time in the future and power a default? It wouldn’t shock me however that looks like a short-term downside that may be remedied pretty shortly as soon as they see the issues it will trigger.

Politicians need to get re-elected and wrecking the U.S. economic system shouldn’t be an excellent technique for that.

However even when you knew how badly a politician might screw this up sometime it nonetheless may not assist you place your portfolio appropriately.

Again in the summertime of 2011, Customary & Poor’s downgraded the U.S. credit standing. It felt like an enormous deal on the time.

That is from a BBC story the day after it occurred:

One of many world’s main credit standing businesses, Customary & Poor’s, has downgraded the USA’ top-notch AAA score for the primary time ever.

S&P minimize the long-term US score by one notch to AA+ with a damaging outlook, citing issues about funds deficits.

The company stated the deficit discount plan handed by the US Congress on Tuesday didn’t go far sufficient.

Correspondents say the downgrade might erode buyers’ confidence on this planet’s largest economic system.

It’s already battling large money owed, unemployment of 9.1% and fears of a attainable double-dip recession.

The downgrade is a serious embarrassment for the administration of President Barack Obama and will elevate the price of US authorities borrowing.

This in flip might trickle all the way down to greater rates of interest for native governments and people.

Sounds scary proper?

These had been the returns for numerous segments of the bond market one yr after this occurred:

Bonds staged an enormous rally as a result of rates of interest really fell.

In reality, charges fell instantly, with the ten yr treasury dropping greater than 1% in lower than a yr:

How concerning the inventory market?

Issues did get bizarre within the inventory market within the short-term.

The Monday after the downgrade was introduced the S&P 500 crashed greater than 6%. That’s an enormous down day.

The following day it was up virtually 5%. The day after that it was down greater than 4%. And only for good measure the market ripped 5% the very subsequent day.

So we had down 6%, up 5%, down 4% and up 5% back-to-back-to-back-to-back. It was a risky time for certain.

Nonetheless, even together with that down 6% day, the S&P 500 was up virtually 20% a yr later:

It’s price noting that the inventory market was already within the midst of a drawdown at that time from a mixture of the European debt disaster and double-dip recession fears.

So we might see some short-term volatility with a debt ceiling debate even when it doesn’t come to an precise default.

However the present traits in charges, financial development and the inventory market matter greater than the political theater we now see in Washington DC each few years when the debt ceiling is triggered but once more.

The opposite factor to say right here is that each time this occurs folks complain about how a lot debt we now have on this nation:

$31 trillion is form of quite a lot of debt.

I’m not as anxious about that debt as others.

Let’s have a look at the curiosity we pay on that debt as a proportion of GDP:

It’s rising however continues to be a lot decrease than the outlays within the Eighties and Nineties for curiosity expense. We are able to nonetheless afford to pay our money owed though charges and the quantity of liabilities have risen.

The debt was decrease again then however charges had been greater and GDP was clearly a lot decrease as effectively. The most recent GDP quantity got here in at greater than $26 trillion:

And that’s not an gathered determine just like the debt. This yr the economic system will possible produce a quantity that’s even larger than that.

I do know the debt quantity is horrifying however simply know folks have been worrying about authorities spending for a very long time.

So long as the economic system continues to develop, federal debt will develop in addition to the pie expands.

And if our legislators fail to do away with the silly debt ceiling we’re possible going to be having this debate as soon as each few years.

That debate would possibly trigger some short-term volatility within the markets however there may be at all times the possibility of short-term volatility within the markets.

We mentioned this query and extra on the most recent version of Portfolio Rescue:



Kevin Younger joined me as soon as once more to reply questions concerning the yield curve, T-bills vs. on-line financial savings accounts, coping with retirement portfolios as age units in and the professionals and cons of HSAs.

Additional Studying:
America Has Been Going Broke For A long time

¹Plus, it’s vital to recollect all of that authorities debt is an asset for buyers within the type of bonds.

Podcast model right here: