The stock market hit record highs and the Federal Reserve proclaimed such good times as to raise their economic outlook and increase the likelihood for interest rate hikes.

From January 1, 2018 through March 28, 2018 (Q1), real GDP likely grew $110 billion (a 2.5% rise on an annualized basis).  However, the fly in the ointment...according to the Treasury, from Jan 1, 2018 through March 28, 2018 (Q1), federal debt rose by an astounding $621 billion dollars (a 13.1% increase on an annualized basis).  The chart below shows the quarterly change in federal debt versus the quarterly change in real GDP since 2000.  Q1 2018 was the second largest quarterly growth in federal debt, only surpassed by the massive free spending of Q4, 2008.