The most visible result of the dislocation created by massive policy interventions from the Federal Reserve and other government agencies are bare shelves at supermarkets.
"Grocery-store shoppers are sporadically encountering portions of a shelf that is suddenly empty when a week earlier there was plenty of product. There are again social-media “reports” of purchase limits of some items, such as toilet paper (why is it always toilet paper?) at some Costco, or pasta at some Walmart, or beef at some Safeway, or whatever. You can buy all kinds of stuff, but you might not be able to get one or two items that are part of your normal list."
Less visible but equally critical are things like when for example the oil needed to complete a trucking delivery can't be found or requires multiple diversions just to cover the need. Shortages of even mundane supplies can cause ripple effects which travel down the daisy-chain of supply & demand reeking havoc on many along the way!
The supply chain crisis facing many businesses is now combining with inflation (price increases) to create a perfect storm along with staffing issues. Meanwhile, demand is strong according to my client sources but if supplies can't be secured then sales can't be made even if demand is robust. This is causing fits and stops as supplies come in and are depleted quickly leaving the marketplace under supplied or at best sporadically supplied.
"During the empty-shelves-period in March through May 2020, inventories dropped to $48.6 billion, same as in April 2018. This wasn’t such a big drop, but inventories had been kept so tight on purpose that, when demand suddenly increased, shelves became empty, customers walked out shocked and frustrated, and stores couldn’t maximize their revenues because they were out of product"
Consumers are now feeling the pinch of inflation at the retail level. Until now, many businesses were either eating the difference in producer prices and suffering lowered margins or selling smaller packages at the same price ("shrinkflation"). It's no longer possible to hide the reality which is that consumers are earning the same or less (income stagnation) while everything they buy is exploding higher - if this momentum continues many basic necessities will become un-affordable for most consumers within a year.
"If we look beyond the 2008 crisis, food costs do not see a similar jump until the 1980s. Rising food prices in the US are often obscured by creative accounting and “shrinkflation” (shrinking packages and rising prices), but if we look at global food prices the average is a 30% jump in the past year."
One of the ways to deal with these mounting issues is to have ready access to immediate capital. There are many situations where cash infusions are required immediately - within 48 hours - to meet urgent needs.
Also, capital is cheap when prices go higher because the rate you pay stays the same for the whole duration of the term.
Right now is a perfect time to lever-up with maximum cash to get supplies, make hires, purchase competitors's facilities or pay expenses. The capital I fund you with will cost the same in 6 months or 24 months - how much will your supplies cost then??