USA - Losing its Global Influence

[Gotno Gizmo]

"In reality Western Europe has gotten as far away from the USD and USA as possible".

That is not true, although many western European states joined "Euroland", the USA has remained the principle trading and financial country outside the internal EU markets. Additionally, the rising and falling of USD has reflected on global oil and gas prices creating ongoing problems in heavier industrial production, where consistent energy costs are vital to the stabilty of manufacturing costs.

Wall Street became inovative by the development of financial investments called "derivatives". These complicated and alleged high yield products were mainly linked to the assessed growth of USA real estate values. Well we all know what happened to them! European banks were left with junk investments and are most unlikely to ever get their money back, let alone have any chance of profit. Northern Rock Bank in England was the first bank to go bust. European countries had to use their taxpayers money to bail out ailing banks (much to the displkeasure of those taxpayers) resulting from greedy bankers reckless gambling. A respected Icelandic bank went pop leaving thousands of British and Dutch investors with billions lost.

European and Asian stock exchanges are watching every pricise movement of the USA economy and if the USA goes down it will take most of western world and those tiger economies whose customers are in the western world with it.

[bm-21Lemko]

just one piece of the puzzle.

However banks seem to be stabalizing now. What we need to watch for is a prevention of a credit crisis.

stability is everything. As you said asian stock exchanges are watching closely. once this stabalizes there will be more investment. But right now we there needs to be stabalization.

[Gotno Gizmo]

I am reactivating this thread, not because the economic situation in the USA has improved since I raised it, but because I want to illustrate how the "Smart Money" is currently manipulating world markets. Along the southern shores of the English Channel (La Manche if you are French speaking), wherever there is a headland or bay providing shelter from the prevailing south westerly winds, you will find a significant number of oil tankers at anchor. They are loaded with crude or refined oil products. Is it that the seamen are on their annual holidays? Of course not! They are "awaiting orders", that is to say that the business consortias who have chartered the vessels and own the loads, are delaying their arrival in ports to discharge. The oil price is low at the moment and speculators are trying to push the oil price up by witholding supply.

This summer has been freekish inasmuch as some parts of Europe have had a shortage of rain, whilst other areas have experienced floods. The effect of this in most of Europe means yields of cereals, animal fodder and vegetables are significantly down. Many agricultural wholesale buyers /packers are contracted to supply minimum quantities of best product yields to giant food processing conglomerates, who will get the first claim by reason of their contractual and financial clout.
There will be reduced amount of agricultural products available to smaller trading organisations. More expensive food and meat (dearer animal feed) must surely be the consequence of a lesser productive harvest season coupled with "smart money" intervention.
Watch your grocery bill rise in the coming weeks!

[Gotno Gizmo]

Originally Posted by LindaTygenhof

Our political situation here is such that many of us hate our current president and view him as a socialist trying to destroy our constitution with his progressive/socialist agenda. He will destroy our global influence if left to govern the way he is governing. China already owns more of us than many of us like. Obama and his deceivers keep borrowing money from China. Our country will only get stronger with men and women who believe that our constitution must be followed. I will become an active Tea Party promoter to make sure my grandchildren have the freedoms I have always had.
.

China has gained its power over the USA economy through the massive trade imbalance that the USA has with them. Many USA business owners have been gradually closing the production of completed manufactured goods or components in your country. They have sourced chinese products at cheaper cost and have only partially passed this cost benefit onto the consumer. Thus the personal wealth of these business owners has rapidly grown (the Smart Money syndrome). You, as in many other countries have been increasingly purchasing your own own unemployment and economic decline.

On the upside, much industrial pollution and requirement for people to work at the most mundane jobs has been transferred elsewhere. You know what the downside is!

As it is no longer considered practicable for countries governments, to have trade barriers for fear of reciprocal reprisal, the onus must remain with the American consumer to buy your own home produced goods whenever possible. You are caught in a spider's web. If you found a USA product in the store you probably couldn't afford it in these hard pressed times and would have to purchase the cheaper import.
What a dillema!

[Gotno Gizmo]

Europe’s cities are now witnessing almost daily worker demonstrations resulting from the threat of their pay being frozen or pensions kerbed. Perhaps they’re angered of seeing jobs lost abroad because they are unable to compete with far eastern workers, who may live in shacks and dine on little else other than rice. The protesters are correct in my view, when they say that they are being asked to pay the price for the misdemeanours of others in the banking and speculative investment world (emanating from Wall Street), whilst earning preposterous amounts of private wealth, have caused their countries financial demise, bringing them in large part to their current situation.
Meanwhile, back in the USA, the blinkered people are also stirring. The Republican Party (the political wing of exploitative global business and oligarchy [smart money]) have subverted the “Tea Party”, originally against Bush’s big bank bailouts, to become a more business orientated anti government grouping. The manipulation of USA public opinion is most creditable. Unlike most Europeans, who know where the true blame should be focused, the USA’s protesters increasingly believe that all of all of their problems are the evil work of their President Barack Hussein Obama. I suppose with a name like that he must bring public distrust, even if his IQ, personal achievement and articulation is far superior to the last USA President. The fact that he has only been in office for less than two years isn’t a consideration. Sarah Palin is being weaned as a forthcoming Presidential candidate. If the USA votes in this lady at the next President, I believe that Europeans with a political maturity of greater than a fourteen year old will cease to believe in the creditability of the USA (if they haven’t already) and will despair about where this ailing nation will take us all.

[AkMike]

Originally Posted by Gotno Gizmo

the USA’s protesters increasingly believe that all of all of their problems are the evil work of their President Barack Hussein Obama. I suppose with a name like that he must bring public distrust, even if his IQ, personal achievement and articulation is far superior to the last USA President. .

Do you mind backing up any of this babble? What has Hussain managed to do other than outspend the last upteem prior administrations? The" nobel peace prize" for breathing and changing his shorts on schedule and being half black?

Oh yeah I'm impressed (yawn)

[Gotno Gizmo]

Ak Mike,
If your previous government had governed effectively to monitor and control big business in your country, and caused them to act in the best interest the state, rather than in their own best interests at the expense of everyone else, you wouldn't be in this current crisis. It's a simple as that!
The crisis was well established before Obama came to his Presidency. George Bush passed him over a poisoned chalice, but you guys are so blinkered by your business oligarch own media you couldn't recognise the truth if it was 38 ton truck about to run you over. Please wisen up, not just for your own sakes, but to eleviate the impact on innocent working class Europeans and others whose economies would suffer further hardship by the collapse of the US Dollar.