This isn’t 2008. It’s something older, darker, more systemic. Maybe 1987. Maybe 1971. Maybe worse.

It’s starting to feel like we’re circling the same storm we saw back in 1987. Most people still call that one Black Monday. But this time, it’s not just stocks that are cracking. It’s the whole framework. The system is stretched to its seams.

Look closely. The data isn’t hiding. GDP growth is losing steam while inflation keeps creeping higher. That’s not just a red flag. That’s textbook stagflation. And in stagflation, nothing works. The Fed can’t cut rates, and Congress won’t cut spending. You end up stuck with high prices, weak growth, and rising yields.

And those yields are starting to scream. Treasuries are falling out of favor. Foreign holders are backing away. Domestic buyers aren’t filling the gap. The only silent bidder left is the Fed, and they’re already sneaking back into the game. Not officially. No press release. But stealth moves. Liquidity injections. Repo games. Balance sheet magic. It’s QE without calling it QE. And that’s what’s putting the dollar on thin ice.

The greenback is already slumping. Charts don’t lie. Even a modest shock here could push it into a freefall. And that’s what would tip the next leg down. Because when the dollar breaks, confidence breaks with it.

Congress is nowhere to be found. Too compromised, too paralyzed, too late. The so-called DOGE cuts didn’t even make it into the final budget text. There’s no political will to balance anything. We’re past the point of patchwork fixes.

And outside our borders, it’s unraveling too. Peace talks are stalling, not progressing. Conflicts are multiplying. Eastern Europe, the Pacific, the Middle East. No one’s closing deals. Trade talks are collapsing, not forming. Global commerce is throttling down. Port volumes are light, shipping rates tell the story. World trade is stalling.

Every central bank is stuck. They can’t cut. They can’t print. If they stimulate, they lose the bond market. If they tighten, they crush growth. They’re frozen in place while bond yields shoot higher and sovereign debt looks increasingly like a toxic bet.

We’re heading into a zone beyond policy reach. This isn’t something a few rate cuts can fix. We’ve crossed into territory where confidence itself becomes the last pillar. And when that crumbles, it goes fast.