By Charles Vollum, BIG GOLD On June 3, Standard and Poor’s issued the latest update to its Case-Shiller Home Price series. The press release begins, “Data through March 2011 ... show that the U.S. National Home Price Index declined by 4.2% in the first quarter of 2011, after having fallen 3.6% in the fourth quarter of 2010. The National Index hit a new recession low with the first quarter’s data and posted an annual decline of 5.1% versus the first quarter of 2010.” Then comes the key statement: “Nationally, home prices are back to their mid-2002 levels.” This means that on the average, a home in the U.S. that was purchased for $200,000 in mid-2002 would have sold for about the … [Read more...]
The Housing Bubble Revisited
What really makes a bubble? Are bursting bubbles inflationary or deflationary? What lessons can we learn from history? In this article Justice Litle addresses these issues. ~Tim McMahon, editor By Justice Litle, Editorial Director, Taipan Publishing Group A burst housing bubble is a harbinger of deflation, not inflation, due to massive debts incurred and massive savings lost. To really get your head around the inflation debate, it helps to understand the late great housing bubble. To that end, this description seems as informative as they come: The smell of Boom was everywhere. It caught even those who were not particularly attracted by it. A former president of Freddie Mac, … [Read more...]
Inflation and Housing Prices
Being "real tangible assets," houses tend to act as inflation hedges. But in recent times they have appreciated by multiples of the inflation rate. This is due more to loose lending practices that to loose monetary policy. In the following article David Galland addresses the current state of housing prices and where they might be headed. ~Tim McMahon, editor Should You Buy a House Now? By David Galland, Managing Editor, The Casey Report Recently, we have had a number of queries about real estate. And no wonder. For starters, real estate prices have come down. Plus, in an environment with next to zero interest rates, the idea of possibly picking up some income-producing property on the … [Read more...]
Who Killed the Housing Market?
The poor housing market has been big news for several months now as property owners who bought at the peak of a "housing bubble" are now having difficulty selling due to either a lack of buyers or at least a lack of buyers at prices sellers are willing to accept. So what caused this state of affairs? And who is responsible? In the following article Susan Walker of Elliot Wave International addresses this Issue.-- Editor Wanted: Prime Suspect of Housing Market Murder By Susan C. Walker, Elliott Wave International October 8, 2007 Helen Mirren accepted her Emmy award for best actress in the mini-series, "Prime Suspect" with elegance and grace. Just the opposite of the tough detective … [Read more...]