Biden's Economic Policies Push the U.S. Misery Index Ever Higher

The inflation and unemployment numbers for March have been released, which means it’s time once again to see where the U.S. Misery Index stands.

As the feckless Biden Administration continues to gaslight, spin, and deflect blame for the soaring cost of living in the United States, most Americans are being forced to tighten their belts and cut back on everyday purchases like food and gasoline. And since the current U.S. Misery Index is higher than the previous month’s index of 11.67%, the economic situation is certainly not improving for the average American family’s wallet.

Each month, economists use the most recent Bureau of Labor Statistics data in an attempt to gauge the health of our economy. By adding the current U.S. unemployment rate of 3.6% to the current rate of U.S. inflation of 8.54%, economists quantify the economic well-being of the country into what is called the U.S. Misery Index.

The current U.S. Misery Index stands at a very miserable 12.14%.

It’s also worth noting, that the U.S. inflation rate hasn’t been this high since December 1981, after the economically ruinous presidency of Democrat Jimmy Carter. In turn, the Misery Index is used to gauge how average Americans are weathering the ups and downs of the U.S. economy under the Biden/Harris administration’s disastrous economic policies.

So what exactly does the Misery Index tell us? First, we know that as the rate of inflation goes up, the cost of living increases. Next, as the unemployment numbers rise, more and more people fall into poverty. Consequently, the Misery Index acts as a kind of snapshot that is used to gauge the health of the economy as a whole, since both unemployment and inflation impact the average American wage earner.

The US Inflation Rate rises to 8.5%, its highest level since December 1981.

In December 1981, the Fed Funds Rate was at 13%. Today's it's at 0.33%.

Charting via @ycharts pic.twitter.com/uTrtCQSHNj

— Charlie Bilello (@charliebilello) April 12, 2022

It’s not just the U.S. that is feeling the squeeze of inflation, however it’s clear the U.S. is obviously doing something wrong with its economic policies under Biden as its rates are at decades-long highs and climbing.

Inflation Rates…
Switzerland: 2.4%
Denmark: 5.4%
Canada: 5.7%
Sweden: 6.0%
UK: 6.2%
Eurozone: 7.5%
US: 8.5%

Central Bank Rates…
Switzerland: -0.75%
Denmark: -0.60%
Canada: 1.00%
Sweden: 0.00%
UK: 0.75%
Eurozone: -0.50%
US: 0.375%

Behind the curve.

— Charlie Bilello (@charliebilello) April 15, 2022

Unfortunately, everyday Americans have no choice but to pay exorbitant prices for food and energy. We all have to eat and drive our cars. What’s more, at this time of year, most Americans still need to heat their homes at night or cool their homes during the day, which means commodities like food, natural gas, and gasoline are taking bigger and bigger bites out of the family budgets.

Commodity price changes over the last year…
Nat Gas: +161%
Nickel: +103%
Heating Oil: +92%
Coffee: +80%
Wheat: +77%
Cotton: +73%
WTI Crude: +69%
Brent Crude +66%
Gasoline: +59%
Corn: +36%
Sugar: +32%
Soybeans: +21%
Copper: +17%
Gold: +14%
US CPI: +8.5%
Silver: +3%
Lumber: -23%

— Charlie Bilello (@charliebilello) April 13, 2022

Recommended: Biden’s Inflation Spin Assumes All Voters Are as Dumb as Democrats

Inflation decreases the purchasing power of consumers. Higher prices mean fewer goods can be purchased, so even as Americans return to work after the economic disruptions of the pandemic, their wages, savings, and investments buy less and less the more inflation rises. The sad fact is that even though consumers haven’t done anything wrong, inflation acts as a tax, and the mere passage of time increases the prices of everyday goods and services such as housing, food, and transportation. Under these conditions, when and if workers get a raise this year, inflation will eat up any gains as Compound Capital Advisors founder and CEO Charlie Bilello explains:

U.S. wage growth has failed to keep pace with rising prices for 12 consecutive months. This is a decline in prosperity for the average American worker.

All of the U.S. wage growth since the start of the borrowing/printing binge has been a mirage, up 11.1% in nominal terms but 0% after adjusting for higher prices. Initially, everyone loves ‘free money.’ Only with the passage of time are the ravages of inflation fully understood.

In other words, as the Misery Index rises, life becomes entirely more and more expensive. So in the grand scheme of things, does it really matter who is in the White House? Or are inflation and the cost of living simply political footballs tossed around by politicians looking to get elected or re-elected? The answer is yes, it absolutely does matter which party sets our economic policies. When Biden took office in January 202,  in the depths of the COVID-19 pandemic hysteria, the index stood at 7.70%, and it has since climbed steadily to a crippling 12.14% today.

All American voters would do well not to get distracted by the events in Ukraine or the next virus variant and keep in mind these miserable economic numbers made worse under Biden when it comes time to vote in 2022 and 2024.

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