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trumptman
06-15-2006, 09:04 AM
In a thread concerning gold I mentioned the following...

I'm just of the opinion that the dollar slide isn't going to strengthen Japan, China, etc. There is a very clear reason they keep their currency depreciated and some seriously harsh consequences to their own economies when they convert their dollars to their own currencies. Japan has already been through this once. We all remember the late 80's, early 90's "Japan's going to bury us and own the world" mantra. Instead the dollar depreciating against the yen caused massive asset appreciation there and inflation that then popped into deflation and a decade long recession.

This thought, that the dollar slide is going to strengthen the exporters and those who have trade surpluses while crushing the U.S. is repeated often around here.

Just thought I would toss a log on the fire so to speak...

China tries to cool (http://quote.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=10000006&sid=a0j7eBSTi..k&refer=home)

``The risks to the economy are from the investment boom turning to bust,' said Julian Jessop, chief international economist at Capital Economics in London. ``The best way to avoid a hard landing in 2007 or 2008 is to start deflating that investment bubble now.''

and

``We will remove the firewood from under the cauldron so that banks do not have the money to lend,'' central bank Vice Governor Wu Xiaoling was quoted as saying in the Shanghai Securities News today. She said banks that led lending to ``overheating'' industries will be forced to buy more central bank bills.

Finally...

The central bank raised its key lending rate on April 28 by 0.27 percentage point to 5.85 percent and told banks to rein in loans. The move came after Wen and other government leaders warned that excessive investment in some industries is leading to higher raw material prices, overcapacity and falling profits.

This is why trade surpluses which appear to be good are not in the long run. This is why there should be fair trade instead of free trade.

The countries that hold dollars will have overheating economies. Their currency will cause massive inflation and overinvestment within their own economies. Eventually they will become later versions of Japan with massive government debt, a train wreck of a banking system and still desperately export driven.

Nick

MarcUK
06-15-2006, 03:08 PM
why is it that our economic welfare depends upon screwing over other countries economics ala Japan.?

trumptman
06-15-2006, 03:25 PM
Originally posted by MarcUK
why is it that our economic welfare depends upon screwing over other countries economics ala Japan.?

It doesn't. Proponents of free trade often believe that they are actually helping the countries with a trade surplus. The reality is that they aren't.

Nick

ronaldo
06-15-2006, 05:39 PM
My oldest son just returned from a business trip to China. He works as a buyer for a sports apparel company. All of the goods he buys come from and are made in China.
He said that the Chinese people that work in those sweat shops over there, work 7 days a week for $125.00 a month. I do not how many Yuan that is, But there should be absolutly no trade with that country. Talk about coporate greed!!!:mad:

e1618978
06-24-2006, 08:11 AM
Originally posted by ronaldo
My oldest son just returned from a business trip to China. He works as a buyer for a sports apparel company. All of the goods he buys come from and are made in China.
He said that the Chinese people that work in those sweat shops over there, work 7 days a week for $125.00 a month. I do not how many Yuan that is, But there should be absolutly no trade with that country. Talk about coporate greed!!!:mad:

Sure, shut off trade and take those people's jobs away - great idea!

$125/month will probaly buy you enough to live on there (A week of luxury hotels, a driver and a translator cost me $375 when I went there), and wages are going up as the pool of workers dries up. If you tried to limit trade, their wages would drop as unemployment rises.

ronaldo
06-24-2006, 03:24 PM
Originally posted by e1618978
Sure, shut off trade and take those people's jobs away - great idea!

$125/month will probaly buy you enough to live on there (A week of luxury hotels, a driver and a translator cost me $375 when I went there), and wages are going up as the pool of workers dries up. If you tried to limit trade, their wages would drop as unemployment rises.

Just take a look at what a great thing "free trade" is for working people in the United States

www.epinet.org/content.cfm/briefingpapers_bp147

www.post-gazette.com/pg/06161/697150-28.stm

e1618978
06-24-2006, 04:03 PM
Originally posted by ronaldo
Just take a look at what a great thing "free trade" is for working people in the United States

www.epinet.org/content.cfm/briefingpapers_bp147

www.post-gazette.com/pg/06161/697150-28.stm

Trade with china hurts US jobs - quite a different tack from "paying chineese workers $125 is evil". Care to rebut my point, or are you just going to flip/flop?

Our unemployment is as low as it can be without causing inflation, so those workers got jobs elsewhere anyway.

ronaldo
06-24-2006, 04:31 PM
Originally posted by e1618978
Trade with china hurts US jobs - quite a different tack from "paying chineese workers $125 is evil". Care to rebut my point, or are you just going to flip/flop?

Our unemployment is as low as it can be without causing inflation, so those workers got jobs elsewhere anyway.

I did not mean paying Chinese workers $125 is evil.
I guess my point is American corporations reaping huge profits off of the Cinese products while screwing the American work force, but that is the American way.

e1618978
06-24-2006, 04:50 PM
Originally posted by ronaldo
I did not mean paying Chinese workers $125 is evil.
I guess my point is American corporations reaping huge profits off of the Cinese products while screwing the American work force, but that is the American way.

They are not screwing the american workforce - the standard of living of the lower income brackets has been dramatically improved by inexpensive Chineese imports. Obviously they still have jobs, because unemployment is low, and median income is higher, and goods are lower in price.