Quote from Daal:
the Fed doesn't own $4.8T. not even close
Quote from PohPoh:
This is not deflation...
anymore than it was not record home ownership, record equity prices...all of which were artificial, nominal, and not based on reality...
Deflation would imply a contraction of money supply....money supply is expanding at a record rate, despite money velocity collapsing...the Dollars being hoarded by Member banks is only a temporary, artificial situation. It cannot and will not last. Inflation remains fully intact - the damage is done.
When the Dollars are released into supply, and they certainly will be, you will see what I mean...
Quote from jprad:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_public_debt#Estimated_ownership
"Because there is a large variety of people who own the notes, bills, and bonds in the "public" portion of the debt, the U.S. Treasury also publishes data which groups the types of holders by a few, general categories to get a good picture of who owns United States debt. In this data set, some of the public portion is moved and combined with the total government portion because this amount is owned by the Federal Reserve as part of United States monetary policy. (See Federal Reserve System) As is apparent from the chart, a little more than half of the total national debt is owed to the "Federal Reserve and intragovernmental holdings". The foreign and international holders of the debt are also put together from the notes, bills, and bonds sections. Below is a chart for the data as of December, 2007:"
Quote from jprad:
Back it up then. Provide a link that breaks down that 52% figure.