Richest Nation?

[rehsifylf]

I see a good number of comment on the debt, lack of savings, and other financial concerns with the US. Every now and then, I'll see information that surprises me. Have a look at this chart:

 

 

US is still way ahead in GDP per capita. Canada lags even France. India is about 1/4 of China (thought they would have been about the same). Biggest surprise was Saudi.

 

Anyway - haven't been many finanical posts on here since things turned around.

 

Hope everybody bought stocks when Warren Buffet said it was a good time to do so.

[TerryH]

................US is still way ahead in GDP per capita. Canada lags even France. India is about 1/4 of China (thought they would have been about the same). Biggest surprise was Saudi.

..............

I don't read from the chart that Canada is doing all that badly -- there are only 4 countries shown with higher GDP/capita than Canada. Also, I'm not sure that big GDP can be interpreted as "richness."

 

I was surprised more by France's position than Saudi Arabia's. With regard to the latter, if you took away the contribution from oil production, Saudi Arabia would rank right down there with Syria, Ethiopia, Zimbabwe etc.

 

The most disturbing thing about where the US is headed right now, is the ratio of debt to GDP. Have a look at the chart at the following site.

 

http://www.usgovernmentspending.com/federal_debt_chart.html

 

In comparison, Canada's debt/GDP is expected to be around 33% by the end of the fiscal year.

 

The only way the US can deal with their growing debt is to print money, lots of it. That leads to inflation and you can bet Canada will be affected bigtime. How do you deal with inflation -- among other things, you crank interest rates. All the geezers on this board, myself included, will remember mortgage rates in the 20% range.

 

Terry

[reevesr1]

Bought some (GE and Citi based on Warren), but not enough and a bit late, though both have done very well.

[bhurt]

Correct me if I am wrong but isn't china buying up alot of the US debt?

[rehsifylf]

Correct me if I am wrong but isn't china buying up alot of the US debt?

 

Very good observation bhurt. Japan has about twice as much of the US debt as China but China is coming up fast.

 

The size of your debt to GDP is less of an issue than who owns that debt - IMO. Japans Debt to GDP was 194% in 2008 and US was only 72.5% (only about a 1/3) - but Japan's debt is 90% owned by Japanese citizens, the US debt is only 25% owned by US citizens. Which country is better off? With Japan, it is somewhat similar to borrowing money from your children - you pay interest but it helps grow your childrens wealth so they depend less on you later - and in the end - it is more of an investment in your own families future. If you borrow money from somebody elses kids, that doesn't help your kids much later does it? Thing is, your kids have to a) have the money to lend you and be willing to lend it to you instead of buying an iPOD. Most Americans spend instead of saving (which is the ONLY reason Canada has the economy we do IMO) - but because they don't save, they don't buy the US debt, someone else does - those interest payments go somewhere else.

 

Canada's debt to GDP in the early 90's was rising and I recall much discussion about how bad this was (and I bought that). However, I think the key is - what does the government do with the money it is borrowing? Do they invest it in Assets that will generate GDP. If they invest in the right things, then the GDP will grow faster than the debt and the ratio will go down (without printing money). Canada did that and I will agrue that a main reason our debt to GDP is low today is because we borrowed heavily in the late 80's early 90's to fuel growth. I have this dicussion with my wife on a regular basis. She argues that debt is bad - I say borrowing to invest is good as long as you can earn more on your investment than you have to pay interest (funny thing is she is American and I'm Canadian - go figure).

 

 

I don't claim to be a nobel winner in economics, but I am failry certain that there are more ways to reduce debt/GDP than to print money. My expectation is that the "Global Economic Crisis" will leave the US far stronger coming out of recession than it was going in. Some of the moves they've made over the past year are going to have a major negative impact on the holders of their debt. Like a train wreck, nobody will talk about the political moves made while the bodies are still on the ground, but down the road, many books will be written on the shrewd moves that were made. The investment in banks will have incredible yields for the american people (essentially they bought low and will sell high).

[SanJuanWorm]

Read Peter Schiffs new book. It explains everything. CRASH PROOF

 

China is going to own the US.

[jksnijders]

Read Peter Schiffs new book. It explains everything. CRASH PROOF

 

China is going to own the US.

 

 

China/Saudi Arabia already do own the US..

[onthefly7]

I don't want to be owned. I guess I will have to go to college in Canada.

[reevesr1]

Read Peter Schiffs new book. It explains everything. CRASH PROOF

 

China is going to own the US.

 

Blah, blah, blah. Just like Japan was 20 yrs ago. Or Saudi.

[jksnijders]

The only way the US can deal with their growing debt is to print money, lots of it.

 

Terry

 

 

Quantitative easing sure has a nice ring to it..