Meanwhile, no one with any degree of real economic knowledge can point to a U. S. interest rate rise in the foreseeable future. This, despite predictions for the past several years that it was both imminent and inevitable.
As with every other forecast on every other measure, this time of the year since 2009 they always “shift to the right” :-)
Thing is that these low interest rates just don't make sense from a hisorical perspective. Rates on T-bills and prime loans have hit bottom for several years now while Corp. bonds and mortgages came up a bit last year but they're falling again too. I confess: I've been expecting rate hikes for a while now, although I personally have expected us to be a lot farther off from deflation too...