Re: House prices
 

True about the gold,but gold is just a commodity which can be easily replaced and matters very little.What cant be replaced is core industry and the knowledge and experience that went with them.
As an example in the 1970s GB was a world leader in shipbuilding.That included the design and full construction with raw materials like steel being made here.
GB was innovative in early computer and robotic construction methods including all weather yards at Sunderland and Tyneside.
Come the brave new world of the 1980s and 90s where making things was relegated to far east "emerging" economies much of what we had was destroyed and the expertise was destroyed with it.
Now we have nothing but largely self inflated house prices to back up our economic well being and we are rue the day we destroyed our manufacturing ability.After the economic devastation of WW2 we got our economy going again with the "export or die" culture of the 50s and 60s.Now the export side of that idea is not on so it only leaves the die bit.Game over for GB ltd?

Re: House prices
 

GB Ltd cant compete in manufacturing with the likes of India Ltd and China Ltd because we cant get away with charging 5p a day because of a little problem called human rights (which I think should be scrapped)......

When you can think of a way around that, then you can blame the goverment for loosing manafacturing industry in GB :rolleyes:

Re: House prices
 

We shouldn't be competing with India or China and that is the problem. Outsourcing to these countries has been the reason why America's Dollar is now weak. The more money you give to these countries the richer their economy becomes and the weaker we become.
Nowadays everyone has become so obsessed with getting things cheaper and cheaper. By boss for example bought a load of cheap Chinese made racks and cases and is over the moon cos they cost him 1/2 what a EU made case would. In my head I'm screaming as they are **** cases and fall apart very quickly but also they are ruining our economy!!! (not just cases all Chinese made products.)

Do Not Buy Things Made In China!!!

Re: House prices
 

GB ltd cant compete in manufacturing with the likes of India ltd and China ltd.
Theres the statement that says it all and is why we are looking at the end game for GB ltd and others like us.We either compete with these "emerging" economies or we succumb to them.It seems the policy of the last thirty years has been to succumb to them,softening the blow for as long as possible by flogging off the family silver and borrowing.Now the crunch has come.End game.

Re: House prices
 

As fuel gets more expensive, this will become more viable. Oil however has dropped below $100 a barrel again though. (Derail: So why isn't fuel 50% cheaper than last months $147!?)
Thankfully, China had vast amoutns of money invested in American companies (not secretly, but somewhat subtly) , financial ones in particular. The value of that has somewhat tumbled the past few weeks. So they've taken a pretty mega-hit too.

They've also got foreign reserves of over a trillion dollars. If they sold all of that now, it would absolutely cripple America for good. The value of a dollar would hit such a low that any attempt to bring the economy back on track would inevitably fail.

China hold the power here...



It always amazes me when you go abroad to see the focus on buying national goods where you can. We don't seem to have any of that in England (other than fresh meat).

Re: House prices
 

Brent Crude is at $88 a barrel at the moment.....down $60 from 1 month ago.

Last time the barrel price was that cheap we were paying 84p a litre at the pump.

Re: House prices
 

It should be cheaper, but the pound isn't worth anything at the moment either. If it wasn't for the drop, fuel would have gone up again!

Re: House prices
 

Tgey could drop the price, but the rich people want their money and governemnt want tax so they can waste it on something else.

Re: House prices
 

I had happily shelved this thread cos it was too depressing and now you lot have gone and made it even worse :-P

Oh well, time to get my money out of the stock market and banks, hide it under the pillow and start a vegetable patch.

Re: House prices
 

Unfortunately its to late for that, if the institution holding your money hasnt gone under then your money in the stock market is probably worth about half it was when you put it in........land is to expensive for a vegetable patch....it now rains to much to grow most vegatable and the land is to polluted anyway............just incase you wernt depressed enough like