Yves Smith on Why the Economic Situation is so Serious

As Setser and Duy pointed out, we got a subsidy of $1000 a person from our friendly foreign funding sources. The bailout bill $700 billion figure (which could be larger, since that is the maximum outstanding at any one time; the real limit is the increase in the debt ceiling) amounts to $2000 a person. Will our creditors play ball and lend us the money? It isn’t at all clear that they will, at least at current interest rates. They have become decidedly cool on buying agency paper. The man on the street in Asia and Europe is taken aback by the events of the last two weeks. Funding the US has become controversial in China, and may be in other major lenders. And a rise in interest rates would considerably undermine the supposed benefits of the program.

The sorry fact is the US has consumed at an unsustainable level. We need to reduce consumption and increase savings (and reducing debt is a form of savings).

Read it all and especially take the time to look at the main useful charts.

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Posted in * Economics, Politics, Economy, Housing/Real Estate Market, Personal Finance, Politics in General, Stock Market, The September 2008 Proposed Henry Paulson 700 Billion Bailout Package