Anger about the Federal Reserve is Rising

Based on our analysis of news chatter, we're seeing a disturbing (in my opinion) trend - increasing anger expressed in references to the Fed in news media.

The below chart demonstrates Anger mentioned in all references to the Fed since 1985.  You can see both the declining anger as the U.S. came out of the Volcker-induced recession of the early 1980s and the recent rise in anger associated with economic stagnation and political polarization.  

The reason this anger is significant is because high levels of anger can drive drastic and often self-defeating behavior.  This is true for individuals (e.g., suicide bombers) and also for crowds (e.g., the U.S. Congress considering abolishing the political independence of the Fed).

More to come about such social and emotional trends...

Richard L. Peterson, M.D.