@floe
TLDR of my most recent article 🧵
A long-term debt cycle progresses through stages:
- early expansion (sustainable debt growth)
- bubble formation (unsustainable borrowing)
- market top (debt burdens peak)
- deleveraging (credit tightens, asset prices fall), and reflation/recovery (policy stimulus restores growth)
Currently, the U.S. exhibits late-cycle characteristics, with national debt reaching $36 trillion by March 2025—up from $34 trillion in 2023—driven by post-COVID deficits and decades of leverage accumulation. The Federal Reserve’s rapid rate hikes from near 0% to 5.25%-5.50% (maintained as of March 2025) have inverted the yield curve, signaling potential recession risks and tightening credit, particularly affecting interest-rate-sensitive sectors like housing and small businesses.