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Australian Economy

Global Recession Risk Grows

From U.S. recession to Global recession. . . The U.S. economy may already be in recession; other countries might not be far behind. Japan, Britain, Spain and Singapore, which together represent about 12 percent of the world economy, are vulnerable as fallout from the U.S. worsens their economic weakness. Even

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Australian Economy

The price of fish

The median house price in Australia is now 50 per cent higher than the median price in the United States. This is a huge disparity between the cost of housing in Australia and the US, and is not matched by a difference in incomes. » The price of fish –

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Australian Economy

Debt, Debt – It’s everywhere.

First it was subprime, then it was the home equity crisis. Today it is margin loans. In a day when the Australian Stock Market slumped 7.3%, making it the biggest fall in 28 years, debt was again playing its role. With double digit returns as long as you could remember,

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Australian Economy

Doubts surface on nation’s ability to withstand recession

THE first real hint that something was wrong came in February last year. People started using the word “subprime” and talking about defaults in the US mortgage market. …. The long-proposed theory of ‘decoupling’ is also breaking down, and market watchers are less convinced the Australian economy can withstand a

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Australian Housing

Meltdown puts heat on global house prices

US and British house prices are falling. Australian house prices are still rising. Housing here is protected in the short term by strong Australian growth, but that will not last forever. …. Even so, the OECD suggested in 2005 that Australian house prices were the most overvalued of any developed

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United States Economy

Warning : The Home Equity Crisis Ahead

As subprime takes center stage, there appears to be more trouble in the woods. As house prices spiraled to dizzy heights, home owners used the equity in their homes, or their homes as ATMs to buy other goods and services. This was achieved with a home-equity loan. Now as house

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Australian Economy

US recession ‘could hurt Aust resources sector’

A leading economic analyst says Australia’s strong resources sector could suffer if the United States economy slides into recession. Craig James from Commonwealth Securities says the slowdown in the United States will have a follow-on effect for Australian shares, particularly the resources sector. “If the US economy slows and there’s

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Australian Housing

Land prices plummet in western Sydney

The New South Wales Valuer General says a glut of properties in parts of western Sydney has led to a fall in land values in the past year. » Land prices plummet in western Sydney – The ABC, 13th January 2008.

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United Kingdom Economy

Spitting Image – Madness sing Our House spoof

Dad believed when Maggie said: Get a mortgage, buy a home, so dad took out a great big loan. For a while there we were chuffed. Now the market has collapsed and we are absolutely stuffed. Our house, in the middle of the slump . . . .

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Australian Economy

UN Says U.S. Economy’s Housing Slowdown Risks Global Recession

“There is a clear and present danger of the world economy coming to a near standstill,” the UN’s Department of Economic and Social Affairs said in an analysis released today in New York. “The domino effect of a U.S. recession would be to knock down export growth from China, Europe

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United States Economy

US now in recession, top bank says

A top bank says the feared recession in the United States economy has arrived. A report from Merrill Lynch, one of the world’s leading financial management and advisory companies, says Friday’s employment report confirmed that the US is in the first month of a recession. » US now in recession,

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Australian Economy

Are the baby boomers really all that well off?

There has been this misconception that as our population gets older, most will own their house outright and hence more will be immune from the credit crunch gripping the world. In today’s AFR they published this interesting graph : It would seem while more and more of Australia’s population, aka