Peter Schiff Slams Federal Reserve's Plan For Buying Treasury Bills: 'QE By Any Other Name Is Still Inflation' - Invesco QQQ Trust, Series 1 (NASDAQ:QQQ), SPDR S&P 500 (ARCA:SPY)

Core Viewpoint - The Federal Reserve's decision to cut interest rates and resume purchasing Treasury bills has sparked a debate about the U.S. economy's future, with contrasting views from analysts and economists [1]. Group 1: Economic Perspectives - Economist Peter Schiff warns that the Fed's new liquidity measures represent a dangerous return to quantitative easing, predicting that this policy will lead to rising long-term interest rates [2]. - In contrast, institutional investors express optimism, with LPL Financial's Chief Economist Jeffrey Roach stating that the Fed's actions indicate a successful balance of its dual mandate, leading to a "Goldilocks" scenario for the economy [3]. - Gina Bolvin from Bolvin Wealth Management supports this optimistic view, suggesting the Fed is shifting focus from fighting inflation to managing economic risks [4]. Group 2: Fed's Actions and Market Reactions - The Fed plans to purchase approximately $40 billion per month in shorter-maturity Treasuries to smooth volatility in short-term funding markets, a move that has drawn criticism from Schiff [4][5]. - Bill Adams, Chief Economist for Comerica Bank, notes that the Fed is operating in a "data vacuum" due to delayed economic releases and anticipates a leadership change when Chair Powell's term ends in May 2026 [5]. - Chris Zaccarelli of Northlight Asset Management cautions that the current optimistic sentiment may diminish if investors realize that the path to lower rates is slower than expected [6]. Group 3: Market Performance - The S&P 500 index has increased by 17.35% year-to-date, while the Dow Jones index has returned 13.36%, and the Nasdaq Composite has gained 22.68% in the same period [7]. - The SPDR S&P 500 ETF Trust (NYSE:SPY) closed at $687.57, up 0.66%, while the Invesco QQQ Trust ETF (NASDAQ:QQQ) closed at $627.61, up 0.41% [8].