Global Debt at Record Levels and the Free Lunch Is Over

By Schiffgold

Global debt rose $10 trillion to a record $397 trillion in the first half of 2023, according to the Institute of International Finance (IIF).

The big increase in debt occurred despite tightening credit conditions, and it is an increasingly worrisome problem because the “free lunch” of artificially low interest rates is over.

Over the last decade, global debt has increased by a staggering $100 trillion.