The Declining Market

There is no denying that our country has always faced financial problems based on our mentatility of borrowing versus saving…of consuming versus producing…of “printing money” when needed!  This issue has been compounded with the downturn of our real estate market and depreciating home values.  Our homes are the single largest asset (or should I say liability now) of many Americans.  With a decrease in this asset, spending is minimized and families cannot rely on their homes as an ATM machine anymore.  This issue is hitting home, not only as a country but individually.  A movie called I.O.U.S.A is being released this month that outlines not only our current financial conditions but the history that has led to where we are today from a debt perspective.  Below is the trailer:  

According to MSN there are still areas that hold a potential profit if you decide to buy a house and hold it for some time in this market. Below is a table that forecasts out expected equity for homes in different cities (with the assumption that you hold on to it until 2012). Texas, New York and South Carolina seem to be the top winners with the most cities on the list. This is atlease a 4 year investment so don’t expect to flip and run…

How much equity you’d have by 2012 if you bought a low-priced home today…

The Wall Street Jornal posted an article stating that we have hit a point where according to history it is time for the cycle to reverse.   The graph shows housing starts (per thousand) versus time (in years) in correlation to a recession.  Read the full story from the Wall Street Journal. 

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As of today, February 16, more are more signs are leading towards a further declining market:

•  U.S import prices went up by 1.7% which was driven by increased prices for oil
• Export prices increased 1.2% which was the largest jump since 1989.
• The Reuters/University of Michigan index of consumer sentiment dropped to 69.6 which was the lowest it has been since 1992.  These numbers are representative of the recessions in the mid 70’s, 80’s, and early 90’s.
• Stock prices fell due to concerns that there was a slowing in consumer spending.  Dow Jones was down 28 points to 12,348.