An old story from 2005 about the Housing Bubble in the USA, and some of the people preparing for it. The article is interesting reading and contains some great quotes from 'reputable' sources. **Notice any parallels with Australia today?** Join discussion...

"But similarly [drop in exports] could be that we know that China is stockpiling a lot of commodities - coal and iron ore in particular - and it could be the Chinese think that they've got enough of our raw materials and are therefore not importing as much as they were before, so if that's the case then that is quite a worrying sign," Mr Walters said. Join discussion...

There are 3 waves of downturn. Australia is just on the beginning of the 2nd wave. Join discussion...

Pension and index funds are speculating into oil. Other commodities should apply as well. Such speculations are highly price inflationary. Join discussion...

More games played by the Chinese Join discussion...

The Chinese are playing games with commodities. Join discussion...

Have a good read of the BIS annual report here. Join discussion...

BIS, known as the central banks' central banks warned of the financial crisis 3 years ago. It warned that stimulus may not be effective as it only serves to give a temporary boost. It also warned that countries like Australia can face a run on the currency. Join discussion...

Warning for Australia from Roubini. Join discussion...

A decline in exports to China would ripple through the Australian economy. Robert Rennie, a currency analyst at Westpac, said the dollar could fall with export volumes and prices. "I think the risks are weighted to the downside," Mr Rennie said. "If China does slow demand for those key commodities, it is not entirely clear there is another obvious buyer out there." Analysts say recent exports to China may be as good as it gets for Australia. Join discussion...