Marketwatch (July 14)
“Only 9% of all existing mortgages in the U.S. were taken out with a rate of above 6%,” with a majority of mortgages at rates below 4%. As a result, “the supply of new homes has been severely constrained by this imbalance…. New listings — a measure of how many sellers were putting up their homes for sale — were down 27% in early July versus a year ago.”
Tags: 4%, 6%, 9%, Constrained, Existing mortgages, Homes, Imbalance, New listings, Sale, Sellers, Supply, U.S.
Washington Post (April 18)
“Nothing like this has happened in human history…. Men outnumber women by 70 million in China and India.” The results are “far-reaching: Beyond an epidemic of loneliness, the imbalance distorts labor markets, drives up savings rates in China and drives down consumption, artificially inflates certain property values, and parallels increases in violent crime, trafficking or prostitution.” Moreover the consequences extend all the way to Europe and the U.S.
Tags: China, Consequences, Consumption, Distortions, Europe, Imbalance, India, Labor markets, Loneliness, Men, Property values, Savings, U.S., Violent crime, Women
Financial Times (October 27)
Investment flows with China “are becoming unsustainably one-sided,” an imbalance that cannot endure. “There is no problem in Chinese companies buying abroad — but Beijing sets up big obstacles at home.” Either China will open up inward investment or the West will clamp down on China’s outward investment.
