Hello There, Guest! (LoginRegister)

Post Reply 
Economist Sees 'Bad Recession,' Stocks Could Drop Again
Author Message
SumOfAllFears Offline
Grim Reaper of Misguided Liberal Souls
*

Posts: 18,213
Joined: Nov 2008
Reputation: 58
I Root For: America
Location:
Post: #1
Economist Sees 'Bad Recession,' Stocks Could Drop Again
Economist Shiller Sees 'Bad Recession,' Stocks Could Drop Again

Sunday, July 19, 2009 5:34 PM

Esteemed economist Dr. Robert Shiller was among the very few to warn of a housing bust before it happened.

Now he tells Newsmax and Moneynews.com that, although the housing market could be approaching a bottom, prices might remain in the “doldrums” for years to come as the United States remains in a “liquidity trap” comparable to the one it faced during the Great Depression.

Though stock market prices are valued fairly now, Shiller said, equities remain a “risky” investment because the United States has not turned the corner on its fiscal crisis. He warned that stock prices “could fall dramatically.”


Dr. Shiller’s full video interview

http://video.newsmax.com/shiller


Shiller is the co-creator of the closely watched S&P/Case-Shiller Home Price Indices. His books include "The Subprime Solution: How Today's Global Financial Crisis Happened, and What to Do About It."

During an interview in 2006 with Newsmax’s Financial Intelligence Report, Shiller accurately warned of a looming price bust in housing. During a recent interview, Newsmax.TV’s Dan Mangru asked Shiller where he sees the housing market going from here.

"In the United States, home prices have been dropping at a rapid clip," Shiller responded.

"However, in the latest S&P/Case-Shiller data, the rate of decline seems to be reduced, and in fact, in seven of our 20 cities, home prices were rising in April. So it does seem to me that we are getting closer to a bottom at the very least."

Last week, demand for home-purchase loans decreased and the unemployment rate now stands at 9.5 percent, Mangru pointed out, and asked: Are home buyers just scared?

"I think having really high unemployment is naturally scaring people," Shiller said.

"And we don't know that it's over yet. We had a really bad unemployment report, and unemployment could easily exceed 10 percent. People know that. That's one reason the personal savings rate has risen to 6.9 percent, levels we haven't seen in decades.

"Even though the confidence surveys seem to be relatively upbeat, I don't know if it really translates into willingness to purchase yet."

Unlike other analysts, Shiller doesn’t believe the key to a U.S. economic recovery lies in the housing sector. He argues that the United States should first get its credit markets in order and get banks lending money again.

He told Newsmax.TV he doesn’t think some proposals calling for increased tax credits for all home buyers is a good idea.

He sees the $8,000 tax credit for new home buyers as stimulative because it forces new home buyers into the market rather than existing homeowners who would put their existing properties up for sale.

In discussing the overall economy, Shiller said the United States had avoided an economic “catastrophe” because of intervention by the Federal Reserve and Treasury, but the nation remains in a “bad recession.”

Instead, Shiller foresees a “risk of a weak economy for years to come.”

He advises conservative investors, especially those who are retired and on fixed incomes, to be wary of stocks.

Shiller compared the country’s economic crisis to the same “liquidity trap” the United States faced in the Great Depression. The federal government needs to pump more economic stimulus, via increased spending or tax cuts, into the economy, he said.

He thinks the first stimulus wasn’t enough and has unwound too slowly.

Asked whether he sees the Fed's increase of the nation’s monetary base as inflationary, Shiller said no, at least for the near future.

However, he suggested that the economy could face “the possibility of substantial inflation” a “few years down the road.”

He believes that investing in commodities is a “smart thing to do,” regardless of whether inflation hits.
07-20-2009 11:28 AM
Find all posts by this user Quote this message in a reply
Advertisement


Post Reply 




User(s) browsing this thread: 1 Guest(s)


Copyright © 2002-2024 Collegiate Sports Nation Bulletin Board System (CSNbbs), All Rights Reserved.
CSNbbs is an independent fan site and is in no way affiliated to the NCAA or any of the schools and conferences it represents.
This site monetizes links. FTC Disclosure.
We allow third-party companies to serve ads and/or collect certain anonymous information when you visit our web site. These companies may use non-personally identifiable information (e.g., click stream information, browser type, time and date, subject of advertisements clicked or scrolled over) during your visits to this and other Web sites in order to provide advertisements about goods and services likely to be of greater interest to you. These companies typically use a cookie or third party web beacon to collect this information. To learn more about this behavioral advertising practice or to opt-out of this type of advertising, you can visit http://www.networkadvertising.org.
Powered By MyBB, © 2002-2024 MyBB Group.