Fear Of The Second Wave

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Fear Of The Second Wave<!-- --> | ZeroHedge

ZeroHedge - On a long enough timeline, the survival rate for everyone drops to zero

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This time last year, it seemed like we were just about finished with the terrible inflation of the Biden years that had trimmed at least 25 percent from the purchasing power of the dollar.

The hope has been for a year that the massive increases in money printing over the COVID years were finally done. As some put it, the snake had finally digested the golf ball.

Each time, inflation fired back up again, until it culminated in an inflation of the late seventies that changed life in America fundamentally. All along we’ve worried that the experience of the 1970s would repeat: three clean waves.
After that, two household incomes were more common than not, if only to maintain living standards.

The latest PPI print covering the month of February is sobering. The index for final demand rose 3.4 percent for the 12 months ended in February, the largest 12-month advance since increasing 3.4 percent in February 2025. That is double the forecasted increase. The most eye-popping number concerns prices for final demand goods. They increased 1.1 percent for the month.

Annualize the number and you get an incredible 13.6 percent, the hottest in more than 3 years. This is double-digit, which itself gets us into a strange psychological place. It kicks off panic buying and hoarding.
After each, monetary authorities presumed that the problem was over and that life could go on as normal.

Seen any panic buying yet?