The Economy Is Great. Why Are You Stressed?

[@Shmaa17]

you're one of the most interesting economics / finance youtubers. can't get over how seamlessly you blend modern memes with broader concepts

[@corystraine4271]

People want prices to go down because they want things to reverse. They don’t want to make 100k and pay $15 for a gallon of milk, they want to make $50k and be able to afford $4 for milk AND $3 for butter. Prices go down, your pay doesn’t need to go up. All in a time when pay ISN’T going up right? Myself, I haven’t had a raise in over six years and my dollar doesn’t go nearly as far. 20% grocery inflation sucks. Overall, though, very well put video and I love your perspective. You explained a LOT in a little time and it actually made me feel a little better.

[@BugGenerat0r]

It actually makes sense that people would prefer prices go down, instead of their own income going up. - my own income going up only helps me, while prices going down helps everyone. - our brains feel the pain of loss more than the joy of gains, so prices rising is a loss and so is felt more.

[@xvx4848]

Hank Green said it best the other day. In 3 years home prices are up 50% and food prices are up 30% both well above the rate of inflation. I wouldn't even call it a "vibecession" as much as a "we have no money to live-cession". Both housing and food are necessities and those have risen sharply and decimated the average American, especially those under 45.

[@harrisjm62]

Yeah there's an important difference between prices on essentials going up and prices on everything else. I can't opt out of food and housing. If entertainment prices go up, whatever. I have the option to save that money instead.

[@erickaminsky6489]

The things people have no choice but to interact with are what's causing the vibes. Housing, transport, food, education, healthcare. Those are the beating heart of "vibes" and also easily missed by the more well monied coastal managerial class observing the economy and writing the articles.

[@WilliamJasonSherwood]

I think the core issue is the slice of the pie that is going to corporations and inevitably to the capital class. What we're seeing is the bottom getting 'more' to keep up with price rises... But those price rises came from increased profits.

[@LFPAnimations]

I think the assessment that generally people feel poorer because of higher labor costs at the bottom is wrong. I am not an economist, but I am a member of the shrinking middle class. Basic things that people need are out of reach to normal people right now. Housing is a huge one and that has little to do with builders getting paid more and more to do with lack of supply and corporations buying up the existing stock in mass. Owning a home is essential to building real wealth. Owning a home also provides stability that is necessary to start a family (in my opinion, obviously some people have families in rented apartments). When people say they want prices to go down, they probably mean that they want their wages to actually earn them a good life. Some of these people may have been saving for a home and now the goal post just got moved to far it seems out of reach. Food prices are also concerning since our tax dollars subsidize farming. There have also been studies showing that food price increases have mostly added corporate profits instead of adjusting to the cost of business. In other words, rich people are once again looting the middle and lower classes and frankly everyone is sick of it. We need wealth to move down to the next generations. We need the middle class to get a bigger share of the wealth in this country. We are hurdling to a future with two classes, rich and poor, and that is not a good place to be.

[@Dan-n5h9m]

Billionaires care about the poor. That's why we have record inflation, record homelessness, gen z owning nothing and can't even afford cars, and mass misery and hopelessness. Billionaires need extra yatchts and private jets. Poor people need to support this and live in tents while working full time so Billionaires can have more stuff they need. We are poor, we HAVE NO NEEDS. can't believe poor people are so stressed out in this AMAZING economy where you need 10+ interviews and a Cia level background check to get a minimum wage job

[@aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah]

The desire for costs to go down on goods is not just "I want things to be cheaper" vs "I want to make more money to afford the cost now". I think the desire for costs to go down is a) things are more expensive and b) the overall quality of the good is less than it was. So not only are we paying more for the same thing, we are paying more for a lesser thing. Bikes are a great example. They are more expensive than they have ever been(for now) and the quality of the builds and kits that distributors are selling is far less than what it was two years ago.

[@Barf-so3qy]

This one’s easy. The economy isn’t good and hasn’t been good for several decades.

[@KylaScanlon]

thanks for watching everyone!

[@josephlh1690]

Kyla, I normally wouldn't ask something like this, But I can't help how utterly terrifying the economic outlook looks from an outside-in perspective. The next two months could end in an economic cataclysm. With our supply chains at risk due to the situation in the red sea, with immigration spiking, with labor unions rallying, with labor costs rising, with interest rates high, with labor participation rates at major lows, with an impendiing collapse of the childcare industry, how would one go about explaining to an audience how political optimism combined with entrenched fiscal biases formed by political opposition, could result in a nasty recession or even a depression, what would you tell them? Or more importantly, how to convince them to believe you? No one is paying attention to external factors that can break the us economy rapidly. It wouldn't be so worrying if it weren't for the fact that there are so many possible dangers to the entire nation beyond control of our financial institutions. Talks of a soft economic landing are premature.

[@Muller_Andr]

I enjoyed this content. Although I have been watching less yt and doing more research. My retirement contributions are not making my 401k any better, should I buy popular index funds in a brokerage account, is this a better alternative to retirement?

[@xavier_lucas]

My suggestion to an upcoming investor is to learn to do your own research and don’t just go buying stocks without proper considerations. Most of what is pumped out by the media is what most KZbin financial entertainers churn out to you as fear uncertainty and doubt.

[@AnkurYo]

Agreed. That and reading some basic principles laid out in books like The Intelligent Investor by Benjamin Graham. There are also good KZbinrs out there like Felix, Graham Stephan, Humphrey Yang and a few others, but generally you are right.

[@Jennapeters144]

Its unclear which stocks and sectors will lead the market in the next uptrend. Stay away from the stock market if you do not have guidance from a plannner and investment strategist. My finances have been in order since I got a wealth planner like Monica with a 600 M AUM working for me.

[@Muller_Andr]

Who is this Monica you speak about?

[@xavier_lucas]

Monica looks great. I’m intrigued. What’s she like, how can I set up an appointment with her directly and what are the upfront fees?

[@tehb357]

I can see people preferring prices to go down rather than income going up if they think even if their income went up, prices would just keep going up, whereas prices going down would be a shift.

[@or8t]

OMG vibecession in the dictionary! That's biggg happy for you

[@Valokor]

Congrats on getting a word added. I love your content and outlook on the economy. Keep up the great work!

[@jti107]

congrats Kyla! the vibes are off not just in the economy but life in general. two conflicts, high inflation, unaffordable housing, etc.

[@randyreynolds1045]

Wealth distribution is much worse here. Poland and Iceland are better happier countries!😢

[@randyreynolds1045]

Nice work on this .❤

[@joshg2188]

Glad your content and analysis continues to get the recognition it deserves!

[@MeEntertainmentJo_876]

I do sort of disagree with your deflation comments. People aren’t looking for cheaper consumer goods like washers and dryers and cell phones, they want cheaper food and homes. If food prices go down people aren’t going to hold off on eating week after week until the store goes bankrupt. If homes were more affordable then people without housing or living in suboptimal conditions aren’t going to put off finding a house. The “deflation is bad” argument is *generally* true but the things people want to be cheaper are not items they can put off buying and no one business is going to lose its customers because food, housing, or healthcare became more attainable.

[@jgloza]

Always love to see your latest takes. I continue to stan.

[@randyreynolds1045]

IBM and Cisco have massive lay offs

[@Ugghahbuggah]

You’re the most interesting person I’ve listened to in my life

[@redcoltken]

I think homelessness and pent up frustration are a major part of this

[@Nevermore101]

Omg inspiration at a local level is such a good point! Many managers/top level people I know in tech are asking their employees how to make use of AI/LLMs/GPT, very few of them have good answers. I think this disconnect is why.

[@rhiannonskyeole]

Vibes is Energy...Spirit, mind, heart and body. It's about money+/-....I feel.❤😊

[@aaron___6014]

Not to mention smaller cities are pushing more and currently building apartments and high density housing meaning fewer people will own homes.

[@vvolfflovv]

Selfish for trying to put food on the table and shrinking inequality? wow. All while more money continues to flow into fewer pockets at record levels. Corn, wheat, vegetable oil, and even crude oil has come way down in price all while food prices on the whole continue to rise. Policy makers aren't as disconnected as they would have us believe either. This is mostly by design.

[@FodderMoosie]

REALLY liked what you said about innovations being detached from most people's real lives.

[@StephenAgneta]

We need to measure vibes like radiation. "Vibes are at 3.6 Kylas. Not good. Not terrible."

[@leehayes4019]

Good analysis, what do you think we should do to fix it?

[@umaiszahid7307]

Great video. R.E Selfishness, I think that question actually shows selflessness is a majority position. Most people would interpret “lower prices” to be a shared benefit, rather than a reduction in wages for those on the lower end. Whereas an increased wage is something that appears selfish because it is exclusive to you. Neither of these positions are technically true but I suspect the majority of people would interpret it as such. I also think it’s unlikely to be a consequence of our sensitivity to status games. We seem to be mostly sensitive to the people in our immediate surroundings (I.e in our shared socioeconomic bracket), which I think makes this factor small overall. The simplest answer imo is (1) food prices and (2) house prices. These two factors are, by a large margin, the most important factors in most people’s lives, and are the lowest on Maslow’s hierarchy of needs. It doesn’t matter if the new iPhone is cheaper if you can’t afford to stock your fridge or a roof over your head. The macro indicators economists cherish are simply a poor proxy for human well-being.

[@ggoncalves80]

Print money, decreases the actual value of money circulating, after months/years the consequence is felt in all layers of the economy. The initial consequence is money in the pocket of the ones closer to the source, and the final consequence is money losing value and causing general bad vibes.

[@PeterMOD-fq9oz]

Amazing content, You remain the best!! It's been a year since I found ways to improve my finances and by working with a renowned professional, I was able to attain financial freedom. I have to say; "As long as you are determined and work hard, you can achieve whatever you place your mind on

[@PeterMOD-fq9oz]

In my financial journey, MARC DARIUS MESSER has played a crucial role, offering invaluable knowledge, practical advice, and motivational content. The empowers community he fosters has not only boosted my confidence and work engagement but also inspired me to pursue excellence. Considered a secret weapon for significant financial growth, his online presence is essential for anyone seeking to enhance their financial situation

[@FraserHughes098]

It's truly great to see the name Marc Darius Messer mentioned here. I have immensely earned working with him and I'm truly happy with my decision to work with him because he has proven to be the most reliable Financial consultant to work with

[@ishaan556-g5s]

Having worked with Marc Darius Messer for 3 years, I have come to realize that a dream doesn't become reality through magic; it takes sweat, determination, hard work and that all our dreams can come true if we have the courage to pursue them

[@mattm8314]

Have you ever read any of Dr. Yong Tao’s work? He discusses the concept of modeling a sufficiently complex economy as a chaotic dynamic system, or a neural/machine learning algorithm equivalent. He derives what effectively is a probabilistic function that describes a chaotic physically energetic system, and shows that it sufficiently models about 95% of real-world populations analyzed (the 5% it doesn’t being the top 5% economically, which again has implications in and of itself). I think looking at the economy this way, just as any other dynamical system, has potentially interesting implications on policy (such as dynamic systems requiring a non-hierarchical and decentralized system structure to reach a maximally efficient/adaptable state). Just thought of it as an interesting perspective, anyways love your videos!

[@davidcadrian]

Could tell you really cared about this one. Much louder than normal. Great video.

[@Cookingwithfire99]

“You’re not hungry or housing insecure, you’re just in your feelings” smh

[@hardstylelife5749]

What I wonder about such a nice and insightful explanation is who may be the figure/institution/individual to tackle and address such an issue. Since the average joe is unlikely to : 1 understand such complex issues and interrelationships 2 have any interest/will/ability to do anything about that, beside reacting in the most instinctual way he/she can (since, as you so brilliantly quoted, the issue is misinformation, selfishness, sadness and so much more). And the political/leadership class (as you so nicely summarized) is all but inspiring, insightful and capable of real leadership. So if these two side of the population seems like completely incapable of handling such matters, who is capable and going to do it? Great analysis and research, bravo.

[@CRM1299]

the way we have innovation, the way we have inspiration now is so disconnected from what the average person needs that it feels completely out of touch" so darn true

[@LeviConquersAll]

Fantastic analysis as always.

[@nicholasw2994]

One of your best pieces. I enjoy your content more when you are clearly invested, passionate, clear, well spoken. You are a wonder and a joy to learn from.

[@megadethwok]

Did my comment get deleted?

[@kelso_]

Idk how to explain it but the way you explain this stuff comes across as poetry lol congratulations on getting a word in the dictionary you are a legend 🧎‍♀️

[@kurts6741]

Paying for food delivery is usually a waste of money.

[@harrisjm62]

Where I'm located they have free delivery for groceries over a certain amount. What bothers me is that it means I'm paying for others deliveries if I walk in. The business is putting those costs in the pricetag.

[@kurts6741]

@@harrisjm62 Restaurant food delivery is even worse. I've seen a neighbor pay double the price of the meal for having it delivered by DoorDash and Grub Hub.

[@MindFieldMusic]

Generally agree with most of this, though I personally find cosmology incredibly exciting and inspiring. Almost every day some new discovery is announced.

[@Chiszle]

$7 french fries? But you can't give away a loose potato, onion, or tomato. Maybe a banana, a person will take a banana from you and be appeased.

[@jacobayers9125]

I find your conversation on the current state of U.S. leadership to be interesting. The old saying of "don't meet your heroes" has been completely blast open in the era of social media. Everyone dives into their social media bubble and are exposed to any and all rumors of anyone they might look up to. It seems that most authenticity and ability to maintain common goals from potential leaders has eroded away as we have been exposed to horrendous corruption in the political system as well as having had more coverage of any and all bad days from said leadership. It leads to more public image focused individuals that avoid making bold claims. I feel this ties back to your point of the general existential dread felt by white-collar more liberal leaning individuals, as there doesn't seem to any individuals that we (as an individual in that demographic) look up to. For instance, I remember back in elementary school one of my teachers put up quotes from Bill Gates. Now, I imagine most teachers in similar situations likely got told to remove said quotes by some teachers or fellow faculty based on some news story or allegations they may or many not know about. I am saying this as someone that did genuinely look up to Bill Gates, but let him fall off my radar after his associations with Jeffrey Epstein.

[@willtaylor8260]

Hey I can give you some insight as to why some people might want prices to come down instead of more pay. Im 33 and I’ve seen everything get drastically more expensive since I was a teen. Like so much so that I don’t have faith that my wage would even kinda keep up with price hikes if I got a raise. Personally, I’d rather see prices go down because my raises don’t even keep up with inflation. If that means a recession, so be it. To me, a recession means the richest of us and the poorest of us get hit hard. I feel empathy for the poorest of us, and blame our government for not employing better social safety nets for them, but the richest of us can eat my ass because they’re the reason there even is a “poorest of us”. It’s definitely a selfish stance. And I vote and advocate for more socialism, but while I strife under capitalism, I’d like to see a crash happen. How else will I ever afford a home?

[@nivvy19]

5:00 they are talking about housing! it can't go up forever kyla! where will wages need to be when the average home is over a mil. debt driven world

[@alexaber9786]

What we hear is about 70% of the inflation is corporations charging a larger margin of profit on the goods they sell / services they provide & about 7% of the inflation is wage growth. I don't know a single person who is complaining about the 7%.

[@alexaber9786]

For example, the avian flu was bad a couple years ago. Chicken farms that were hit by the avian flu had to raise their prices to cover their costs - which is fine. The problem is other chicken farms that were not hit by the avian flu, raised their prices as if they were.

[@alexaber9786]

I personally like you. I believe you're very knowledgeable. I appreciate you sharing your insights. This comment thread is in no way intended as an attack or uhmm an argument or something along this line. I hope you have a great day.

[@tuams]

I feel like economic data are somehow separated from how people thing. That's why the asterisks to the data are: "all else being equal" and "assuming that the consumer is a rational actor". And this skews the data away from how people are actually doing in the economy towards - how does the economy do excluding people.

[@Morereality]

Double the money supply, double the prices. Debt taken out by the young for housing is created from thin air.

[@danielcorich7942]

thank you

[@new15ronaldo]

Kayla, I love your Instagram content. But sometimes I feel like it's too short of a format, to explore some of the very interesting ideas your explore. I would love more long form content like this where you can go more Into depth about some of these topics!

[@SuperMentalMicky]

great explination, thanks

[@GregWampler]

Please STOP telling people that inflation is "going down." The inflation RATE is falling, but inflation hasn't and isn't going away. The inflation that was added to food prices is still there, it just isn't inflating at the same rate it was was.

[@willtaylor8260]

Damn what a good video. This was super informative.

[@isidrobaez851]

Thanks!

[@unlitdaylight]

I wonder if the desire for lower prices is because they feel more possible to win than increased wages, there is more labor organizing but it is often a long and hard fight! Hard to know without more data, asking why the preference. What do you think about this?

[@junjunjarjarbinx]

Amen. I learned a lot

[@ggoncalves80]

Higher prices is what happens when you print trillions of dollars and throw them in the market.

[@robertfrangie8986]

Rainbow 🌈 and roses 🌹. Soft landing 😂😂😂

[@geepytee]

I am 100% thinking of moving to Mars, what does that make me?

[@a1993d]

Lower prices paired with stagnant wages would suggest that you get to pay less for things while not having to work harder (or earn a higher income). People are inherently lazy :P

[@dstkable]

Great content

[@sucim]

With all the technological progress, housing should be almost free nowadays (if you don't account for the scarcity of locations). I think the number one thing for blue collar people is to realize that they can create an endless supply to one of the things they spend the most money on. We just need to break nimbyism and let the people build. It really is a scam that there has been no deflation with housing like with TVs etc.

[@sucim]

Heck how did bottled water become so expensive? This stuff is supposed to tend to being almost for free in a free market society

[@TheSupershree]

What about price gouging?

[@xxemojonsnowxx]

great video

[@adamsinger]

kyla in the dictionary is a highlight of 2023 tbh

[@1ntrcnnctr608]

slave: the abstracting mind. master: the algorithm. creative mind step the f up! confused mind reduce screen time! everybody: have sex!

[@willtaylor8260]

We need a new metric damnit! The importance of vibes!

[@jamesbuchanan1913]

Interesting, I might actually look for a job. I had no idea that the lowest wages were rising so much 😅

[@thomaslanders2073]

The solution is to bring in more low cost labor. The only part of the world with a growing population is sub Saharan Africa. Thus millions of those people need to come into the US to bring down prices. Problem solved 😊

[@nii-san5485]

V I B E C E S S I O N

[@Username_CC_]

I do not want a recession because i have 3 job offers coming this week

[@cas343]

"Bernanke Sees No Recession, but Big Challenge February 27, 2008 4:00 PM ET Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke went to Capitol Hill today to provide Congress with an update on the struggling US economy. The Fed forecast he summarized called for very slow growth in 2008, but no recession; and that was the good news." The federal reserve what predicting *no recession* in 2008. This was *three months after the recession was officially in progress* . The entire point of this discussion needs to center around one and exactly one topic: Economists have exactly *zero ability* to measure the status of the economy. Ergo: If the people say "Recession" and the economists say "No recession", then it's the economists *who must bend* .

[@cas343]

@@RJM12345 Okay fine. But the fed thinks there was a recession: "The Great Recession *December 2007-June 2009* Lasting from December 2007 to June 2009, this economic downturn was the longest since World War II." That's from their own website. Why would anyone use them to know the status of the economy? That makes zero sense.

[@briangronski]

When we are an entire generation that is literally spinning our wheels with every aspect of our lives, all the homies want - is good vibes. We make more money but everything we want is still just as unattainable as it was when wages were lower, or even more so! What do we need to do to fix the vibes in this mofo???

[@444-w8k]

People look back at the past and see single income families owning a home with little or no college debt. For the vast majority that life is not possible anymore. Are these the "vibes" you speak of?

[@randyreynolds1045]

It’s not great

[@Hdaug]

W

[@Elhandyhijodemanny]

Your premises are unrelated and a bit too meta. Your other videos are good. You just need to tighten up your logic. Also, people are comparing their current situation to 2021, they had more savings and less debt. Big difference now. Sorry for the basic English, I’m working out right now lol

[@blackfishgaming7145]

Prices will never go down.

[@BraveNewWorldAH]

I only have words on uban dictionary. Does that count?

[@AMcGrath82]

Depends on which words.