• Home
  • Latest
  • Fortune 500
  • Finance
  • Tech
  • Leadership
  • Lifestyle
  • Rankings
  • Multimedia

Trendingnow

1

Social Security's 2032 deadline puts a 22% cut on the table — but Washington has way less room to negotiate than 1983

2

CEO of $20 billion AI firm Perplexity says the secret to success is ‘sleeping with that fear’ that your competitor will steal your idea

3

Boomers actually do hold most of the wealth and power. So why do they call it 'whiny' to point that out?

1

Social Security's 2032 deadline puts a 22% cut on the table — but Washington has way less room to negotiate than 1983

2

CEO of $20 billion AI firm Perplexity says the secret to success is ‘sleeping with that fear’ that your competitor will steal your idea

3

Boomers actually do hold most of the wealth and power. So why do they call it 'whiny' to point that out?
FinanceEconomy

Here’s the One Thing Donald Trump and Wall Street Agree On

By
Chris Matthews
Chris Matthews
Down Arrow Button Icon
By
Chris Matthews
Chris Matthews
Down Arrow Button Icon
September 6, 2016, 6:13 PM ET
US-VOTE-REPUBLICANS-TRUMP
Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump gestures following his speach during a campaign rally in Austin, Texas, August 23, 2016. Photograph by Suzanne Cordeiro — AFP/Getty Images
Add Fortune on Google for similar content.

Donald Trump is no stranger to controversial statements.

But the media and rival politicians have grown so accustomed to Trump’s penchant for exaggeration, unbelievable promises, and flip flops that sometimes they feign outrage at statements that are actually rather ordinary.

The latest such comment came Monday, when Trump responded to a question from a reporter about the potential for a Federal Reserve interest rate hike this year. “They’re keeping the rates down so that everything else doesn’t go down,” Trump said, according to reports. “We have a very false economy.”

“At some point the rates are going to have to change,” Trump added. “The only thing that is strong is the artificial stock market.”

Hillary Clinton was aghast that Trump even commented at all on the Federal Reserve. “You should not be commenting on Fed actions when you are either running for president or you are president,” Clinton said to reporters on her campaign plane, according to Reuters. While it makes sense that presidents should refrain from influencing the actions of a Fed Chair once they are appointed, the fact that the president must appoint a Fed Chair should make Fed actions fair game for a candidate to comment on. Voters, after all, have the right to know what kind of Fed Chair their president will be looking to appoint.

But other commentators, like Ben White of Politico took umbrage at the content of these statements, writing Tuesday that:

Trump’s comments are predictably absurd. The economy is close to full employment and wages are showing some strength. The Fed kept rates low to try and create these conditions, which is its job. Stock prices are not especially high compared to historic multiples and other asset prices. But he’s correct – because of course he is – that rates will have to rise.

But how absurd are these statements actually? The Fed states expressly that one of the benefits of keeping interest rates low is to push asset prices higher, thus making investors wealthier and more willing to spend. This is not the only reason for low interest rates, but it’s an important part of the Fed’s thinking. And at some point, the Fed is going to have to raise interest rates, and Donald Trump isn’t the only man in America who is nervous about the economy’s ability to withstand that process. Warren Buffett has warned about the potential for a horror-show-like outcome as well.

Meanwhile, the idea that the U.S. economy is “false” is not exactly one that is foreign to many people on Wall Street. Some investors, analysts and economists have been criticizing the Fed for years, arguing that its policy is distorting financial markets and setting the U.S. economy up for a painful transition once rates do eventually rise. Whether or not you agree with this analysis, it can’t be disproven, and it’s believed by a long line of successful and respected financiers and academics.

As for the idea that we’re “close to full employment and wages are showing some strength,” both these points are debatable as well. Sure, the unemployment rate has fallen to historical lows, but whether or not this represents the technical definition of full employment is anyone’s guess. The labor participation rate and other broad measures of unemployment remain elevated, while wage growth still remains pretty tame. Trump is correct that the only unambiguously positive statistic that one can point to when talking up the economy is the stock market, and it’s difficult to say where stock multiples would be if central banks around the world weren’t so vigorously pumping liquidity into the system.

That’s not to say that Donald Trump is right in his analysis of the economy, or that the Federal Reserve is doing a bad job. It’s just that Trump’s analysis of the situation is far from the sort of laughable whopper that Trump has been known to let loose in his more freewheeling moments. His critique of Fed policy sounds pretty much like what you’d expect any Republican candidate to offer, and perhaps even a Democratic one, if he were running against an incumbent.

About the Author
By Chris Matthews
See full bioRight Arrow Button Icon
Add Fortune on Google for similar content.

Latest in Finance

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025

Most Popular

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Fortune Secondary Logo
Rankings
  • 100 Best Companies
  • Fortune 500
  • Global 500
  • Fortune 500 Europe
  • Most Powerful Women
  • World's Most Admired Companies
  • See All Rankings
  • Lists Calendar
Sections
  • Finance
  • Fortune Crypto
  • Features
  • Leadership
  • Health
  • Commentary
  • Success
  • Retail
  • Mpw
  • Tech
  • Lifestyle
  • CEO Initiative
  • Asia
  • Politics
  • Conferences
  • Europe
  • Newsletters
  • Personal Finance
  • Environment
  • Magazine
  • Education
Customer Support
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Customer Service Portal
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms Of Use
  • Single Issues For Purchase
  • International Print
Commercial Services
  • Advertising
  • Fortune Brand Studio
  • Fortune Analytics
  • Fortune Conferences
  • Business Development
  • Group Subscriptions
About Us
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • Facebook icon
  • Twitter icon
  • LinkedIn icon
  • Instagram icon
  • Pinterest icon

Latest in Finance

The First National Bank of America logo on a green layered background.
Personal FinanceCertificates of Deposit (CDs)
First National Bank of America CD rates 2026: High APYs and terms up to 10 years
By Joseph HostetlerJune 15, 2026
1 hour ago
wh
Middle EastWhite House
The U.S. says Iran will give up its uranium. Iran says it won’t. They’re due to sign a deal on Friday
By Munir Ahmed, Will Weissert, Sam Mednick and The Associated PressJune 15, 2026
2 hours ago
Top CD rates from major banks June 15, 2026: Chase CDs, Bank of America CDs, Citibank CDs, and more
Personal FinanceCertificates of Deposit (CDs)
Top CD rates from major banks on June 15, 2026: Chase CDs, Bank of America CDs, Citibank CDs, and more
By Joseph HostetlerJune 15, 2026
2 hours ago
Current price of Ethereum for June 15, 2026
Personal FinanceEthereum
Current price of Ethereum for June 15, 2026
By Joseph HostetlerJune 15, 2026
2 hours ago
Current price of Bitcoin for June 15, 2026
Personal FinanceCryptocurrency
Current price of Bitcoin for June 15, 2026
By Joseph HostetlerJune 15, 2026
2 hours ago
Current price of gold as of June 15, 2026
Personal Financegold prices
Current price of gold as of June 15, 2026
By Danny BakstJune 15, 2026
2 hours ago

Most Popular

Social Security's 2032 deadline puts a 22% cut on the table — but Washington has way less room to negotiate than 1983
Personal Finance
Social Security's 2032 deadline puts a 22% cut on the table — but Washington has way less room to negotiate than 1983
By John W. Diamond and The ConversationJune 12, 2026
3 days ago
CEO of $20 billion AI firm Perplexity says the secret to success is ‘sleeping with that fear’ that your competitor will steal your idea
Success
CEO of $20 billion AI firm Perplexity says the secret to success is ‘sleeping with that fear’ that your competitor will steal your idea
By Preston ForeJune 13, 2026
2 days ago
Boomers actually do hold most of the wealth and power. So why do they call it 'whiny' to point that out?
Economy
Boomers actually do hold most of the wealth and power. So why do they call it 'whiny' to point that out?
By Nick LichtenbergJune 14, 2026
1 day ago
Iran proved it can close the Strait of Hormuz, but the U.S. is advertising very loudly that the world's top superpower can at least punch open a hole
Energy
Iran proved it can close the Strait of Hormuz, but the U.S. is advertising very loudly that the world's top superpower can at least punch open a hole
By Jason MaJune 14, 2026
22 hours ago
SpaceX surge further boosts Saudi billionaire prince’s fortune
Investing
SpaceX surge further boosts Saudi billionaire prince’s fortune
By Adveith Nair and BloombergJune 14, 2026
1 day ago
AI job disruption is here. The problem may be compounded because nearly 75% of people don't apply for unemployment benefits
AI
AI job disruption is here. The problem may be compounded because nearly 75% of people don't apply for unemployment benefits
By Jacqueline MunisJune 14, 2026
1 day ago

© 2026 Fortune Media IP Limited. All Rights Reserved. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy | CA Notice at Collection and Privacy Notice | Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information
FORTUNE is a trademark of Fortune Media IP Limited, registered in the U.S. and other countries. FORTUNE may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice.