Bernanke and the printing press $

[DEP]

Well, Bernanke must enjoy the power he has at the moment - i.e. print $ as he wishes. For one day soon (5yrs or less) - the US $ will lose its world reserve currency status. Just ask china and its BRICS buddies what they think of the US$.

[SimonPB]

5 years ?? no dude, when proposing doomsday type stuff your time frame has to be close enough to be scary while also far enough away to be vague .. five years fails on both, in the mean time markets could double or more ..

[DEP]

... who said this a "doomsday stuff"? It will be bad for the US surely and good for emerging markets. Its called transfer of power away from US to the east mainly China. So you fail on both when it come to reading major economics shifts and people opinion here!

[THRESHOLD]

America has played this beautifully! She cannot fail - or China will fail. She has shifted the burden of her social programmes to China who is funding this in large part by giving back profits earned through her efforts under the transfer of America's manufacturing capacity to The East. (There ain't no such thing as a free lunch!) "They" even "lend" America money to buy goods to keep her masses happy; AND when all is said and done - America can simply print the money to repay "them." Any murmurs about the value of the paper dollar would have dire ramifications for China's USD holdings; so she must accept these terms of payment - after all this is THE reserve currency. You have to take your hat off to them.

[Rams]

CHINA...Buffet once said: when you see a growing business, whether a company or country, you must become a part of its growth and share in its profit! If China grows, so will the the US. In South Africa, its different...people here want it all for themselves

[striker]

- Whichever way you look at it, the Americans are living in denial. Whilst they try perputate the ' American Dream' , overspending and crass consumerism, the fault lines in their economy and fiscus are widening. And their solution is to throw billions i

[Rams]

at least the Americans are throwing money back into their own country. South Africa...well money goes to the Swazi king.....

[THRESHOLD]

Here's a question then - if they are living a "lie" and we are riding on their coattails while living in their shadow - what exactly are we living?

[DEP]

well said Striker... we have some investors in denial here (SA) too.

[Wino]

For some reason I do not fully understand, Bernanke wants Americans to buy stocks and not bonds, that is why he is buying them. What for, to try and keep interest rates low? Even so the major indices in the states have not taken out their 2007 highs, unlike the JSE and in my opinion are unlikely too, Bernanke or not. A study of the charts imo indicate much sideways movement from here until eventually a bubble will burst, USA,Spain,China... take your pick then southwards we go.

[Rams]

we dont know how far south is but elections looming and DOW above 13000