All Posts Tagged With: "property"

A stronger local currency might mean China is changing gears in its economic growth plan. That is, rather than relying on export-driven GDP growth, it will shift toward more domestic demand (people spending money). According to the Financial Times, consumption as a percentage of GDP in China has actually fallen from 45% to 35%. In other words, Chinese economic growth has become even more export reliant.

But China’s position is similar. It is the emerging power that other nations see as having the ability to bring the world out of its economic malaise. And like the US last century, it is inflating (expanding money supply and credit) in order to do so. But China is inflating for its own benefit, and certainly not to help the US.

Maybe the Feds are toasting their own success in saving the world from itself (or capitalism from itself, as the critique goes). But not so fast! Global curmudgeon and policy fix-it man George Soros says that the old problem – too much corporate and private sector debt – has been replaced by a new problem – too much public sector debt.

You’ll pardon the sense of inevitability in today’s Daily Reckoning. After all it’s raining. But even so, with over $1 billion in Melbourne property clearing auctions this week (at a clearance rate of 86%) it definitely feels like Australians have found a way to hasten their own financial day of reckoning. Of course not everyone agrees.

First off, house prices are still rising in Australia, but for the second month in a row sales are falling. Here in Melbourne, the average house price is now $510,000 according to the RP Data Index. Melbourne prices are up 15% since January. Granted, that’s not quite as good as the stock market this year. The All Ords is up nearly 30% year to date. But it’s not bad for houses is it?

Look, there’s nothing wrong with looking for the perfect solution to something, we try to do that all the time. There is one difference though. We favour getting rid of regulations, taxation and compulsion and letting free enterprise and dare we say it, the individual make their own choices.

Why is the biggest story of the day? Because Ben Bernanke is a well-intentioned arsonist. Bernanke inherited an American and global economy built on an upside down pyramid of debt, with a very small asset base. When the entire edifice began to collapse in 2007, the Fed Chairman was slow to react.