Record Global Debt and the Destruction of Money

Commentary The relentless increase in global debt is an enormous problem for the economy. Public deficits are neither reserves for the private sector nor a tool for growth. Bloated public debt is a burden on the economy, making productivity stall, raising taxes, and crowding out financing for the private sector. With each passing year, the global debt figure climbs higher, the burdens grow heavier, and the risks loom larger. The year 2023 marked yet another ominous milestone as global debt levels soared to a staggering $313 trillion, setting a record that was ignored by the world’s financial markets. In the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) projections, the U.S. deficit will fluctuate over the next four years, averaging an unsustainable 5.8 percent of GDP—without even considering a recession. By 2033, the CBO still expects a 6.9 percent GDP budget hole. Unsurprisingly, the economy, even using optimistic scenarios, will stall and will show a level of real GDP growth of 1.8 percent between 2028 and 2033, 33 percent less than the 2026–2027 period, which is already 25 percent lower than the historical average....