G0ldfinger

Mortgage rates in Ireland are still dangerously low, and the LTV ratios I see at some larger banks are at a financially retarded 95%! So here is my question for the experts: could someone in, say, a non-PIIGS country like Germany lever up wit an Irish mortage? I mean, from the Irish bank's view, a German mortgage should be a much safer bet. Does anyone know if this is possible, like an inter-European mortgage arbitrage? It could also work between other countries, say Spain and Belgium or so. I am curious to know. At least in the old days, there were all these Swiss Franc to the Baltics mortgages, right? What happened to those, BTW. Those people must be so under the water, you'd need a submarine to find them.

It didn't make much sense to me either, but then I refuse to acknowledge EWT anyway.

I am the wrong guy to ask. Did you read the whole article?

Yes, that's a little what I fear. However, in all fairness, the former industrial cities of the north saw a bounce thanks to an unprecedented credit bubble over the past decade or more (I guess now it's slowly back into collapse mode). The problem with Detroit is that it was such a great boom town, and it will possibly never again come even close to its former self. That said, the right property in the right place... but for this I would have to be a local.

For the TA/EWT crowd. http://www.jsmineset.com/2012/02/02/new-ew-silver-discovery/

Ja, I am just not really convinced why Detroit should really recover. Maybe with Chicago and Toronto we have enough large and vibrant cities on the lakes, what would Detroit really have going for it? Maybe it is just going to stay like this, with some pockets of normality or even wealth, and the rest just falling appart.

I am somewhat intrigued by the Detroit situation. The waterways might indeed become more important again. I am only not quite sure how one could invest into that from a distance. Buying any of these $50 houses - what do you take on in liabilities and taxes? You can not just let it sit and rot and wait until land value will rebounce, I suppose. The city might hold you liable for all kinds of stuff. Any ideas?

U308 (which I hold) has doubled recently. But they'd have to double again just to get where they were 1 year ago.

Bernanke, as seen last Friday during the Q&A session.

That's correct. The DM headline confuses that too. I guess the correlation to house prices is given. I simply wonder how the guy could end up with 250,000 of those anyway.

The rats are leaving the sinking ship! http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2093053/The-great-sell-Property-tycoon-raise-3bn-selling-250-000-UK-homes.html And that's exactly why you're selling, am I right Mr Tchenguiz? ... the portfolio would give any buyer a safe and long-running exposure to UK house price growth crash! £2 billion worth of debts? Ouch! How come!?! MEW, MEW MEW? Oops. Someone burning gazillions? I wonder if he has a mystery Russian investor on the hook already. Juts like the, what's their names, the maths teachers, Smiths? What happened to their portfolio? My guess is that one of the U.K. Einstein banks will buy this crudo, with money freshly printed by the BoE and hence stolen from the purchasing power of the people. Let's hope they don't get a brain drain. Who would do all the stupid deals then? I think Tchenguiz will be lucky to be able to pay back his debt.

I'll wait for the 'big' profits.

Wrong conclusion IMHO. US is not Japan, and Japan might turn hyper soon as the older and older population spends savings. Suddenly, everyone will see that deflation in the face of monetization and ZIRP is a fool's dream, and the world will go hyper. Iranian crisis won't help with that either.

Getting closer to those +$100 days to come. or Profit taking is futile. PS: EURO now the best thing since sliced bread.

It's the USD. Possibly because Bernanke said they'll hold at zero until 2014 now? http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-01-25/fed-says-benchmark-interest-rate-will-remain-low-until-at-least-late-2014.html

Someone bought a little. Silver flying too. Moonshot?

It is a natural reaction. From the viewpoint of Iran, the USD has assumed its intrinsic value: zero.

Oops, I actually hold Minefinders but had no clue. The stock price doesn't show it either, or does it?

Another hyperinflation for the history books. I am still waiting on that one catastrophic hyper-deflation (Big Mac for £0.01?) that some monetary Einsteins are expecting. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/middleeast/iran/9029848/Irans-economic-troubles-mount-as-new-sanctions-are-made-ready.html

Why do you think so?

Yes, I might too if that occured. But I am not sure we will see the ratio that high again before we bottom out.

DOUBLE POST! You mean regarding the post quoted below? Should history really repeat in a time-inverted manner, we seem to be looking at 3.5(+/-1) years here. Personally, I think it could happen within the next two.

You mean regarding the post quoted below? Should history really repeat in a time-inverted manner, we seem to be looking at 3.5(+/-1) years here. Personally, I think it could happen within the next two.

I've finally managed now. I guess chances are better when the U.S. sleeps.

History might just repeat itself here - in inverse order.