Top 10 Trade-in Vehicles 1. Ford Explorer 4WD 2. Ford F150 Pickup 2WD 3. Jeep Grand Cherokee 4WD 4. Jeep Cherokee 4WD 5. Dodge Caravan/Grand Caravan 2WD 6. Ford Explorer 2WD 7. Chevrolet Blazer 4WD 8. Ford F150 Pickup 4WD 9. Chevrolet C1500 Pickup 2WD 10. Ford Windstar FWD Van Top 10 New Vehicles Purchased 1. ToyotaCorolla 2. Ford Focus FWD 3. Honda Civic 4. ToyotaPrius (JP coded available only) 5. Toyota Camry 6. Hyundai Elantra 7. Ford Escape FWD SUV 8. Dodge Caliber 9. Honda Fit 10. Chevrolet Cobalt -------------------------------------------- about 1/2 of the cars sold (mostly toyota and honda) through this cash for clunker campaign are made in Canada. Canada say thanks to obama. A big big portion of clunkers are actually good useful cars but has to have their motors destroyed and entire vehicles are not for resale or parts. What a waste. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2qeKE_f2lwc&NR=1&feature=fvwp http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-r_Cu2cgS6c&NR=1
$800 billion can buy alot of things since cash for clunkers went so well, here come cash for appliance Coming soon: Cash For 'Appliance' Clunkers Michael O'Mara 12 hrs ago If your old washing machine or refrigerator is acting up, you may soon be able to get a rebate check if you buy a new model. The federal government is getting ready to start a "Cash for Appliance Clunkers" program. ----------------------------------------- "I can't tell you how excited I am," said Reginald Sizemore, owner of the Father's Dream Appliance store on Woodland Avenue in Cleveland. "It worked great for getting thousands of old cars off the road," Sizemore added. "It will work great for all those people thinking about buying a new household appliance." There will be no trade-in requirement in the appliance program. Rebate checks will be issued from $50 to $200 to purchase everything from refrigerators and dishwasher to furnaces and air conditioners. At the hhgregg store in North Olmsted, appliance specialist Bryce Weber told Channel 3's Mike O'Mara that this new clunkers program will get the entire industry a boost. "This is a win-win," said Weber. "The consumers get an extra incentive to buy and we get a boost in sales." The State of Ohio is in the process of establishing rules for the Cash for Appliance Clunkers program. It's expected to be up and running by the beginning of November. © 2009 WKYC-TV --------------------------------------------------- i don't think cash for fridges sound cool enough, how about cash for coolers??
the previous top 10 lists were from gov't ranking system. A popular independent automobile consultant, Edmund.com, revealed what's the 'real' top 10 models of purchase from the cash for clunkers program Edmunds.com: Top Clunker Buys The most purchased vehicles under Cash for Clunkers if 2WD and 4WD versions are included. Rank Vehicle Includes Includes 4WD Includes Hybrid 1 Ford Escape (SUV) 2 Ford Focus 3 Jeep Patriot (jeep/suv) 4 Dodge Caliber (SUV crossover) 5 Ford F-150 (full size truck) 6 Honda Civic 7 Chevrolet Silverado (full size truck) 8 Chevrolet Cobalt 9 Toyota Corolla 10 Ford Fusion
China's stock market plunges nearly 7 per cent Jeremiah Marquez Monday, August 31, 2009 Hong Kong — Asian markets fell sharply Monday as Chinese stocks plunged nearly 7 per cent and Japanese shares weakened after the country's opposition party came to power in a landslide victory. European stocks were mixed in early trade.
^^Is that a sign..^^ ..that China is aware the U.S. keeps on borrowing and printing more money and sooner or later all of these stimulus packages being thrown about will not be sustainable & will lead to future instability in its foothold of the U.S. Treasury Notes??..Or simply a reaction to Japan's new political power change??..
Here is a sky is not falling news. http://health.usnews.com/articles/h.../31/prostate-cancer-over-diagnosed-study.html
sky's falling on sunshine state ------------------------- Florida Exodus: Rising Taxes Drive Out Residents By TIM PADGETT / MIAMI Tim Padgett / Miami 2 hrs 2 mins ago There are many things public officials probably shouldn't do during a severe recession, but no one seems to have told the leaders in Florida about them. One thing, for instance, would be giving a dozen top aides hefty raises while urging a rise in property taxes, as the mayor of Miami-Dade County recently did. Or jacking up already exorbitant hurricane-insurance premiums, as Florida's government-run property insurer just did. Or sending an army of highly paid lobbyists to push for a steep hike in electricity rates, as South Florida's public utility is doing. And you wonder why the Sunshine State is experiencing its first net emigration of people since World War II.
As evidenced also.. ..is this for real??.. http://finance.yahoo.com/news/Chinas-exports-trade-surplus-apf-1275024329.html?x=0&.v=6 ========================================================= China's exports, trade surplus weaken in August, despite signs of recovering demand By Elaine Kurtenbach, AP Business Writer On Friday September 11, 2009, 1:09 am EDT SHANGHAI (AP) -- China's exports languished in August, contracting 23 percent, increasing the onus on Beijing's massive stimulus spending to drive an economic recovery. Customs data released Friday show August's exports were worth $103.7 billion compared with $134.9 billion in the same month a year earlier. Imports fell 17 percent to $88 billion, while the overall trade surplus plunged 45 percent from a year earlier to $15.7 billion, but rose from the month before, the report said. The figures were worse than most economists' forecasts. China's trade has been battered by the global downturn but Beijing's 4 trillion yuan ($586 billion) stimulus program has helped to insulate the world's third-largest economy by fueling industrial demand through heavy spending on building new highways and other public works. Economic growth accelerated to 7.9 percent over a year earlier in the latest quarter, up from 6.1 percent the previous quarter, though is still far short of the 10 percent-plus growth rates of recent years. The government aims for 8 percent economic growth this year. Although surveys show purchasing orders are beginning to rebound, trade has stabilized at a relatively low level, says JP Morgan chairwoman for China equities, Jing Ulrich. "As the economies of China's major trading partners gradually strengthen, the export slump should gradually ease," she said in a report Friday. In January-August, China's total trade with the EU fell nearly 21 percent, while its total trade with the U.S. dropped 16.4 percent and its trade with Japan slipped 22 percent, the government said. Exports of almost all major industrial products saw double-digit declines, according to the customs data. China's imports have also remained anemic, even more so now that they are no longer inflated by the massive stockpiling of commodities seen earlier this year. Container throughput in August was lackluster at China's biggest ports -- down 11 percent from a year earlier in Shenzhen, and down 15 percent in Shanghai, Ulrich said.
I don't know where to slot in this one, it's kinda funny and kinda gloomy. Six-year old Chinese girl ambition to be corrupt officer Beijing : China | 10 days ago A six-year-old girl, wanted to be the gang group leader of the corrupt mafia, has become a media elegant in China on her first day of school by expressing her ambition to become a "corrupt official" when she grows up, state media said Friday. The young student stated her aspirations in a televised interview that was posted on a southern China website, leading bloggers to describe her comments as "a reflection of social reality," the web reported. "When I grow up I want to be an official," said the girl, whose face was blurred to protect her identity. "What kind of official?" the interviewer asked. "A corrupt official because corrupt officials have a lot of things," she replied. Several other children appearing in the video were asked the same question, with many saying they wanted to become teachers, while others said they were not sure what they wanted to be when they grew up. Many chatroom users praised the child for her "realistic" outlook on life, while others expressed cynicism over wild corruption in China. "Socialism has issued a new version of 'The Emperor's New Clothes'," said one posting. "The ugliness of life has already tainted the children -- how are we ever going to educate the next generation?" another posting said. Chinese President Hu Jintao has repeatedly warned that corruption is one of the greatest threats to the legitimacy of Communist Party rule. more detail report http://www.theepochtimes.com/n2/content/view/22144/
Next bubble to burst??.. ..the current housing bubble just ended and they've just come out with these...anyone wants to take a stab of which one will happen first??..cooler? silentheart?.. http://finance.yahoo.com/tech-ticker/article/325783/Ten-Bubbles-in-the-Making?tickers=^gspc,^dji,xlf ========================================================== Ten Bubbles in the Making Posted Sep 11, 2009 09:17am EDT by Lawrence Delevingne in Products and Trends, Recession, Banking, Housing Related: ^gspc, ^dji, xlf The Business Insider, Sept. 14, 2009: One year after America's brush with economic catastrophe, there's plenty of looking back at the bubbles that caused financial chaos. But what's next? There are surely dangerous economic bubbles forming as we speak. As Alan Greenspan warned this week, "They [financial crises] are all different, but they have one fundamental source," he said. "That is the unquenchable capability of human beings when confronted with long periods of prosperity to presume that it will continue." The trick, of course, is spotting them. By definition, most people don't spot a bubble before they form and burst. Here's 10 for which you should be on alert: 1. China bubble 2. Green bubble 3. Gold bubble 4. Federal Reserve bubble 5. Trash stock bubble 6. Education bubble 7. Subprime bubble, 2.0 8. Life insurance securitization bubble 9. Commercial real estate bubble 10. Emerging market bubble
I am the least of economists, but there are a couple in your list that don't strike me as bubbles. Neither the green economy, nor the education economy seem to have enjoyed the type of huge, rapid investments that would set them up for a crash. At least not in North America. The subsidies offered for development of green technology have helped investment, but it hasn't been a 'gold rush'. Gold itself always goes up with a bad economy and down with a good one. Although it is capable of big drops, it is rare for a large number of significant investors to be caught unawares of a trend in gold. Love to hear the others opinions on China. My gut feeling is that although it is going to be a perpetual roller coaster for investors, the 'gold rush' phase of completely imprudent investment is over. China's potential is so big that overall growth looks inexorable, if not predictable in any specific sector. A wholesale bubble burst seems unlikely. Ready to listen and learn from the true Masters' deep thoughts.
There's a paper written about the anatomy of a bubble. It goes through a few stages, can't remember off the top of my head in detail, its a paper by Kindleberger. All 6 stages 1) Displacement - Due to an event or new technology (let's take Bill Clinton's silent bill in September 1999 about everyone owning a house) 2) Which then leads to speculation (More securities on sale on the international market anyone?) 3) This speculation is fueled by monetary expansion (come on we can pull comparisons to the current GFC, when said housing boom caused by President Clinton's bill, which caused this subprime shenanigans with banks lending out of their arses; not to mention the fact that people were heavily trading these securitised products around the world) 4) It leads to a peak like a ponzi scheme... (you know more money gets dumped into the system to pay off the ones on top.... cycle 2 and 3 keeps going, keep thinking GFC) 5) Crisis (Need i Explain more) 6) Lender of last resort (At the end of all this.. do I need to explain? LOL) Feel free to bash if you need to.
Gold is/has always will be a secure investment. People flock to gold because it is the safest investment in the world, especially during crisis points. The thing with green technology investments is there hasn't been anything as remarkable or world changing / moving yet, so I don't even see it going into a hyper overdrive of investment money flowing into it like during the dotcom phase and inflating everything before getting burnt. I would probably be more concerned bout the amount of debt the Americans have taken on. The Current account deficit is ****n huge, but that should be fine, if all you are doing is having large capital inflows and you can manage it. After all, capital inflows really show the amount of confidence people have in the US economy, but don't you think it will saturate at that point, and that USA won't be able to meet their debt payments one day when they need to? There's a bit more to add, but here's a starting point. Healthy discussion plzkthxbye. Dinner for me
3 bills/acts on the spot.. ..this discussion and to the likely cause of the housing bust had been brought up in a few earlier posts. About the bill that was passed in 1999, the Gramm-Leach-Billey Act (written by the Republicans), some would point the fingers on that. That bill simply allowed commercial banks, investment banks, securities firms and insurance companies to consolidate. The opponents of that bill, (written by Democrats) Glass-Steagall Act, argued that the Congress should've allowed more regulation to the banking/financial industry (specifically in the speculation part). But here's the kicker though. A lot of pundits would argue, it's not because of the bill that Billy Clinton passed. But rather because of this bill, the CRA (written by Dems & passed by Jimmy Carter, in 1977), which allowed low income families to afford housing and to not allow discriminatory credit practices against low income neighborhoods. And this bill was the one about everyone owning the house. This practice grew & grew, even before the bill was passed in 1999. So, pick which whichever act/bill to blame. My personal take is, the CRA had a lot to do with the housing burst/current financial crisis.
