Column: The specter of inflation haunts Joe Biden’s presidency
Excerpt: Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen got into trouble Tuesday for telling the truth. That morning, at a conference sponsored by the Atlantic, she raised the possibility that one day the Federal Reserve may raise interest rates "to make sure our economy doesn't overheat." Anyone with a basic understanding of economics knew what she was talking about. The combination of President Joe Biden's gargantuan spending and the accelerating economic recovery may well lead to a rise in consumer prices and hikes in interest rates. But an end to the Federal Reserve's program of easy money would hurt asset prices and possibly employment as well. Which is not what most investors want to hear. When Yellen's words reached Wall Street, the market tanked. By the afternoon she was in retreat, telling the Wall Street Journal CEO summit that she had been misunderstood. "So let me be clear," she said. "That’s not something I'm predicting or recommending." No, of course not. But it still might happen anyway.
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