[TomGuy]

“I’ve been in the camp for a long time that these extraordinary rate increases that he has taken on these extreme rate increases are something that he should not be doing.”

Show'em smoke signals for that convoluted mess.

Too many have gotten too used to the low-cost money and they like it.

The rates since the end of the GWB presidency have been kept artificially low. Rates in the 5-6% range have been low typical historically. Rates in the 7-10% range have been moderate historically. The FED still has a to go to bring within historical levels.

[Alberta's Child]

I don't think it's relevant to compare current rates with prior rates.

Interest rates should be driven by growth prospects, and growth prospects in the U.S. today are historically poor. Our population growth is anemic, and our productivity growth is almost certainly negative. THIS is why more and more of our economy is driven by transactions that have nothing to do with a real buyer and a seller. The biggest "buyers" are now the taxpayers, and "sellers" are the government or fascist corporations selling to people who are forced to buy things even if they don't have any interest in paying for them.