Jim Rickards was interviewed recently by Money Morning, and he presented 8 must-see charts …

1. Bang for the Buck

The bang for buck has plunged in terms of how much stimulus federal spending has on the economy … going from $2.41 per dollar spent in the 1950s and 60s to 3 cents per dollar now:

Of course, the government has been spending money on the wrong things … which don’t really stimulate the economy.

2. Money Velocity

The velocity of money is collapsing as fast as during the late 1920s ... right before the start of the Great Depression (due to bad Federal Reserve policy):

3. Misery Index

The “Misery Index” – unemployment plus inflation – is worse than it was in the late 1970s:

4. Misery Index - Part 2

And worse than it was during the Great Depression:

5. Fed Balance Sheet Leverage

The Fed’s balance sheet has exploded … and the Fed’s debt-to-capital leverage ratio has grown from 22-2 to 77-1:

6. Bank Debt Versus GDP

Bank debt is skyrocketing also, and is now growing 30 times faster than the economy (which is important since excessive private debt causes depressions):

7. Stocks Versus GDP

Stocks are now more than twice as overvalued – in terms of stock market capitalization versus GDP – as they were right before the Great Depression:

8. Dollar As Percent of Global Currency Reserves

And the dollar is declining rapidly as a share of global currency reserves: