Real Income versus Fed Balance Sheet

 

Since just before the start of the last recession, median household income has been declining at a significant rate.  At the same time, the Federal Reserve's balance sheet has exploded to just shy of $4 trillion.   

 

It is increasingly clear that the primary beneficiaries of Ben Bernanke’s wealth effect are financial assets not median income or employment. Unfortunately, the Federal Reserve seems to have learned nothing from the aftermath of the dot-com and housing bubbles of the recent past. Like politicians, they never ever admit wrongdoing or acknowledge the negative effects or unintended consequences of their policies.

 

U.S. Balance Sheet In The Red

The picture painted by the federal balance for fiscal year 2012 (which was recently released) shows a nation with a negative net worth of more than $16 trillion, according to the Treasury Department's year-end reports and calculations from banking analyst Dick Bove.  Hopefully Congress can come up with some solutions to our fiscal dilemma.  Balance sheet details are below.



The United States Balance Sheet ending on September 30, 2012

Assets	Billions		Liabilities	Billions
Cash & other monetary assets	$206.20		Accounts payable	$65.20
Accounts and taxes receivable	$111.20		Federal debt securities held by the public	$11,332.30
Loans receivable and MBS	$859.60		Federal empl. and veteran benefits payable	$6,274.00
TARP direct loans and equity investments	$40.20		Environmental and disposable liabilities	$339.00
Inventories and related property	$299.00		Benefits due and payable	$166.20
Property, plan t and equipment	$855.00		Insurance and guarantee program liabilities	$156.40
Debt and equity securities	$110.20		Loan guarantee liabilities	$74.60
Investments in GSEs	$109.30		Liabilities to GSEs	$9.00
Other assets	$157.60		Other liabilities	$432.60
Total	$2,748.30		Total liabilities	$18,849.30