April 2007: Inflexion point of the phase of impact

GEAB N°12 is available! Global systemic crisis - April 2007: Inflexion point of the phase of impact / US economy enters recession

- Public announcement GEAB N°12 (February 16, 2007) -

As anticipated last January in GEAB N°11, the « fog of statistics » is now clearing and US economic trends appear clearly (retail sales at a standstill in January 2007, record high trade deficit in 2006, downward revision of US growth for 2006, Fed's confirmation of economic slowdown, serial defaults among mortgage lending organisations, continued collapse of US housing market,...). Therefore, according to LEAP/E2020, and contingent on the specific evolution of each component of the US economy, the month of April will account for the inflexion point of the impact phase of the global systemic crisis, that is to say the moment when all negative consequences of the crisis pile up exponentially. More precisely, April will be the time when negative trends will converge, transforming many « sectorial crises » into a generalised crisis, a « very great depression », involving all economic, financial, commercial and political players.

In April 2007, nine practical consequences of the unfolding crisis will converge:

1. Acceleration of the pace and size of bankruptcies among US financial organisations: from one per week today to one per day in April
2. Spectacular rise of US home foreclosures: 10 million Americans out on the street
3. Accelerating collapse of housing prices in the US: - 25%
4. Entry into recession of the US economy in April 2007
5. Precipitous rate cut by the US Federal Reserve
6. Growing importance of China-USA trade conflicts
7. China's shift out of US dollars / Yen carry trade reversal
8. Sudden drop of US dollar value against Euro, Yuan and Yen
9. Tumble of Sterling Pound

You can read the rest here.

Level of foreclosures in the US in December 2006

According to LEAP/E2020, the year 2007 will register at least a doubling in the number of foreclosures (3) due to the surge of record high numbers of mortgage loan refinancing on the market (close to 2,000 billion USD). 2 to 3 million homes will probably be filed in foreclosure and about 10 million US citizens thrown out of their homes in the course of this year. All those who doubt whether the US actually entered a “very great depression” should pay a visit to field reality and observe the devastating effect of the housing and financial crisis for millions of Americans (4). Scores of blogs appeared on the web trying to review the on-going housing disaster and the stream of human tragedies (5). Taking into account that a US citizen has three months between initial default on interest repayment and actual foreclosure, LEAP/E2020 estimates that it is indeed in April that the second wave of foreclosures will hit the US market.