Naturally, with all this money printing the dollar plunged in value. That allowed for more easy credit, which led to even more spending. The inflationary surge that followed the breakdown of the currency system sent commodity prices even higher. In response, in 1973, the Fed tightened monetary policy, which is what central banks do when inflation and growth are too strong. This in turn caused the worst decline in stocks and the worst weakening of the economy since the Great
