Live data from Hacker News

US Federal Reserve raises interest rates for first time since 2018

theguardian.com

101–110 of 693 posts

Re: US Federal Reserve raises interest rates for first time since 2018

#101

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Oh no! Boomers will lose 401(k) value! The horror!

Phrased less sarcastically: "Millions of retirees won't have enough money to survive until they pass away."

Savings diluted by inflation or artificial asset growth?

Can you have it both ways ?

Re: US Federal Reserve raises interest rates for first time since 2018

#102

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Oh no! Boomers will lose 401(k) value! The horror!

A big chunk of those boomers have almost nothing. The only thing they'll have to look forward to is poverty.

Poor boomers are affected more by inflation than market crash.

Re: US Federal Reserve raises interest rates for first time since 2018

#103
post #58

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Yes, the only way raising these rates could reduce demand is by increasing unemployment. It could also reduce demand by making it more expensive to buy things. Sure, that will probably have a side-effect of increasing unemployment, but that unemployment isn't the goal. The goal is to make it cost more to do things so less people want to do them.

I wonder why we'd want to pull levers to make things cost more, when the goal is to fight inflation, the bad phenomenon in which things cost more.

Increased costs lead to decreased demand, which ultimately will dampen further price increases. They're shifting the intersection of supply and demand.

Re: US Federal Reserve raises interest rates for first time since 2018

#104
post #65

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It’s even worse - if the Fed actions tank the markets, then millions of retirees who have been enjoying high market values are screwed and have no other source of wealth or income. I do not envy the position the Fed is in.

Won't somebody please think of the poor poor boomers with millions of equity in their houses! Cry me a river.

Most "boomers" have a house maybe worth a few 100K, if they even own their own home. Very few live in million dollar homes.

Re: US Federal Reserve raises interest rates for first time since 2018

#105
post #65

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It’s even worse - if the Fed actions tank the markets, then millions of retirees who have been enjoying high market values are screwed and have no other source of wealth or income. I do not envy the position the Fed is in.

It's rough. On the one hand, retirees bring nothing of real value to the economy. We serve them because of the obligations they built up over their working careers. But, they get the focus of attention because a) they have all the money, b) they have all the time to be engaged in politics, and c) they vote. But they're purely an extractive cost center. A kind of economic parasite that keeps getting bigger and bigger…

Jesus Christ, work til you die eh?

For a lot of people, what is even the point of living if there's no retirement to enjoy?

They are an extractive class insofar as their present contributions are net negative. But you are forgetting they likely spent their entire life building up that account, both in terms of an actual retirement and the broader accounting of total life's contributions. Indeed, it is something that hopefully you and I will enjoy one day, because we've earned it.

That idea reeks of short-term thinking, and a world of endless work for no reward as your worth goes to 0 once you stop contributing.

Re: US Federal Reserve raises interest rates for first time since 2018

#106
post #65

The Fed is trapped: It can’t raise too much since trillions of debt rely on very low rates. If it doesn’t raise enough then inflation will cause a recession.

It’s even worse - if the Fed actions tank the markets, then millions of retirees who have been enjoying high market values are screwed and have no other source of wealth or income. I do not envy the position the Fed is in.

I’m surprised this is top comment. Everyone ought to rebalance their assets as they get closer to retirement. If you are retired you should have a minimum of 3-10% of your portfolio in bonds, which typically fluctuate less than stocks. Then you draw from your bond assets to actually get money.

As long as your stock assets aren’t touched for 3-5 years it doesn’t matter what the market does in the next few months.

Re: US Federal Reserve raises interest rates for first time since 2018

#107
post #65

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It’s even worse - if the Fed actions tank the markets, then millions of retirees who have been enjoying high market values are screwed and have no other source of wealth or income. I do not envy the position the Fed is in.

It's rough. On the one hand, retirees bring nothing of real value to the economy. We serve them because of the obligations they built up over their working careers. But, they get the focus of attention because a) they have all the money, b) they have all the time to be engaged in politics, and c) they vote. But they're purely an extractive cost center. A kind of economic parasite that keeps getting bigger and bigger…

You're talking about living breathing humans. "extractive cost center" is a weird way to describe "person who paid social security their entire working life". You're not wrong about what you're saying but fuck can you act like there's real people involved here and not just numbers? Are retirees _really_ economic parasites?

Let's not forget that consumption is bringing in revenue to _someone_ which does provide value to the economy. Unbelievable

Re: US Federal Reserve raises interest rates for first time since 2018

#108
post #65

The Fed is trapped: It can’t raise too much since trillions of debt rely on very low rates. If it doesn’t raise enough then inflation will cause a recession.

It’s even worse - if the Fed actions tank the markets, then millions of retirees who have been enjoying high market values are screwed and have no other source of wealth or income. I do not envy the position the Fed is in.

The Fed's mandate is to control inflation and unemployment. It's not meant to have anything to do with the stock market.

Re: US Federal Reserve raises interest rates for first time since 2018

#109
post #65

The Fed is trapped: It can’t raise too much since trillions of debt rely on very low rates. If it doesn’t raise enough then inflation will cause a recession.

It’s even worse - if the Fed actions tank the markets, then millions of retirees who have been enjoying high market values are screwed and have no other source of wealth or income. I do not envy the position the Fed is in.

Only small fraction (2.5%) of retirees rely on their 401(k) plans as a single source of income. The majority relies on social security. High inflation will affect many more people, and not just retirees.

[1] https://www.cnbc.com/2020/01/17/heres-where-most-americans-a...

Re: US Federal Reserve raises interest rates for first time since 2018

#110
post #65

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It’s even worse - if the Fed actions tank the markets, then millions of retirees who have been enjoying high market values are screwed and have no other source of wealth or income. I do not envy the position the Fed is in.

It's rough. On the one hand, retirees bring nothing of real value to the economy. We serve them because of the obligations they built up over their working careers. But, they get the focus of attention because a) they have all the money, b) they have all the time to be engaged in politics, and c) they vote. But they're purely an extractive cost center. A kind of economic parasite that keeps getting bigger and bigger…

Retirees are everyone, except older. What would “you”[1]want from the fed once a retiree?

[1] other working people once they too retire.

Post reply on HN