Questions from a Federal Reserve Skeptic

I'd better to this again...

Dear Fellow Expat:

Grab your pitchfork.

We're about to dissect everyone's favorite monetary overlord - the Federal Reserve.

After watching my daughter's soccer game this weekend (where monetary policy wasn't on anyone's mind), I've been thinking about questions few people seem to ask. I want this to be the Monday structure for this letter.

With Apple (NASDAQ: AAPL) earnings on deck (you know, that little company that makes up 7% of the S&P 500), a jobs report that will move markets, and inflation data that will make headlines, we're kicking off a busy week. 

But let's focus on the elephant in the room: The Federal Reserve.

Next week, markets expect the Fed to cut its Fed Funds rate by 0.25%.

However, a red-hot jobs market or a surprise uptick in core inflation could stop the Fed in its tracks. You've got to be watching the Fed and asking questions.

I've said it before... and I'll repeat it... 

Presidents come and go; Wu-Tang is Forever; and a central bank's inflation targeting is the tax that …