Global systemic crisis - April 2007: Inflexion point of the phase of impact / US economy enters recession


- Public announcement GEAB N°12 (February 16, 2007) -



As anticipated last January in GEAB N°11, the « fog of statistics » is now clearing and US economic trends appear clearly (retail sales at a standstill in January 2007, record high trade deficit in 2006, downward revision of US growth for 2006, Fed’s confirmation of economic slowdown, serial defaults among mortgage lending organisations, continued collapse of US housing market,...). Therefore, according to LEAP/E2020, and contingent on the specific evolution of each component of the US economy, the month of April will account for the inflexion point of the impact phase of the global systemic crisis, that is to say the moment when all negative consequences of the crisis pile up exponentially. More precisely, April will be the time when negative trends will converge, transforming many « sectorial crises » into a generalised crisis, a « very great depression », involving all economic, financial, commercial and political players.

In April 2007, nine practical consequences of the unfolding crisis will converge:

1. Acceleration of the pace and size of bankruptcies among US financial organisations: from one per week today to one per day in April
2. Spectacular rise of US home foreclosures: 10 million Americans out on the street
3. Accelerating collapse of housing prices in the US: - 25%
4. Entry into recession of the US economy in April 2007
5. Precipitous rate cut by the US Federal Reserve
6. Growing importance of China-USA trade conflicts
7. China’s shift out of US dollars / Yen carry trade reversal
8. Sudden drop of US dollar value against Euro, Yuan and Yen
9. Tumble of Sterling Pound

In this February issue of the GlobalEurope Anticipation Bulletin (on subscription, LEAP/E2020 details the nature and sequence of these developments meant for all concerned players (currency or financial market operators, investors, international traders, political and economic decisions-makers or analysts) to better anticipation events. Strategy is time mastery! In the present issue of GEAB, our teams endeavoured to build a device to overcome this quarter’s accelerating developments.

In this public announcement, LEAP/E2020 describes one of these nine direct consequences otherwise detailed in GEAB N°12 (on subscription, i.e.:

Spectacular rise of US home foreclosures: 10 million Americans out on the street

In 2006, US foreclosures increased by 42% , directly affecting an average of 1 US household out of 92. In states such as Colorado, California, Ohio, or Texas, 1 household on 35 or 40 falls victim of foreclosure. In October through December 2006 in Ohio, 3.3% of homes and apartments were filed in foreclosure . The pace of foreclosures accelerates as the number of insolvent US households increases (cf. GEAB N°10 on the issue of insolvency): in 2006, over 1.2 million foreclosures affected 4 to 5 million US citizens (counting between 3 and 4 persons per household).

Level of foreclosures in the US in December 2006
Level of foreclosures in the US in December 2006
According to LEAP/E2020, the year 2007 will register at least a doubling in the number of foreclosures (3) due to the surge of record high numbers of mortgage loan refinancing on the market (close to 2,000 billion USD). 2 to 3 million homes will probably be filed in foreclosure and about 10 million US citizens thrown out of their homes in the course of this year. All those who doubt whether the US actually entered a “very great depression” should pay a visit to field reality and observe the devastating effect of the housing and financial crisis for millions of Americans (4). Scores of blogs appeared on the web trying to review the on-going housing disaster and the stream of human tragedies (5). Taking into account that a US citizen has three months between initial default on interest repayment and actual foreclosure, LEAP/E2020 estimates that it is indeed in April that the second wave of foreclosures will hit the US market.

GEAB N°12 (on subscription

_______

Notes:

(1) “Home foreclosures surge 42% in 2006”, CNN Money, 25/01/2007
(2) “Home foreclosures are highest in Ohio”, Beacon Journal, 11/01/2007
(3) “Foreclosures increase 19% in January”, United Business Media, 12/02/2007
(4) "Texas riddled by foreclosures", Austin Business Journal, 26/01/2007
(5) For instance, My Real Estate Money or Foreclosure Pulse.

Vendredi 16 Février 2007

GEAB N°39 - Contents

- Published on November 16, 2009 -

Global systemic crisis – States faced with three brutal options in 2010: inflation, high taxation or default
In the absence of major reappraisal of the international monetary order, the world is now entering the phase of geopolitical dislocation of the global systemic crisis. In 2010, as protectionism and the economic and social depression will gain momentum, a large number of States will be compelled to choose between three brutal options: inflation, high taxation or defaulting on their debt... (page 2)
Read public announcement

The end of the consumer-as-we-knew-him in the past thirty years
For sure the American consumer, incarnation of the American Dream since Henry Ford, has died. But the Western consumer (outside the US) as we knew him in the past thirty years is also wearing out. In addition to that, LEAP/E2020 believes that it is wrong to think that Asians and Latin-Americans will replace these « consuming machines » and enable « planet-profit » to go on as it used to do… (page 6)
Subscribe

Crisis exit: In collision with reality – Real state of things at the end of 2009: USA, Euroland, China
The United States, United Kingdom, or even Japan, striving to escape from defaulting, or France and Germany left with no other choice than raise taxes by the end of 2010, in any event, in 2010, as inflation will affect necessity goods and speculative assets, anti-crisis policies and the reality of the global systemic crisis will collide… (page 11)
Subscribe

Turkey’s awakening: Its gradual exit from the Western camp
Taking advantage of the ongoing systemic crisis, and of the weakening of the US and of the Western superstructure over which the latter’s might is based, Turkey has entered a process of fundamental redefinition of its key geopolitical interests. The new priorities ready to break out by 2012 will account for Ankara’s most profound reappraisal since the country joined NATO in 1952… (page 16)
Subscribe

Strategic and operational recommendations
. Currencies/Gold: Trends are being confirmed
. Real estate: Renting or buying? A choice requiring careful consideration
. Shares/Bonds: The tipping point is approaching
. « Liquidity surplus »: An iconoclastic explanation (page 20)
Subscribe

The GlobalEurometre - Results & Analyses
The unanimity of respondents (99 percent) sees no sign of economic improvement in their country… (page 22)
Subscribe
Full page