A lesson from Deuteronomy 15:6

you shall lend to many nations, but you shall not borrow; you shall reign over many nations, but they shall not reign over you (Deuteronomy 15:6)

Chinese foreign-exchange reserves hit record US$ 2.5 trillion

Excerpt:

China’s foreign-exchange reserves, the world’s largest, have reached a record US$ 2.5 trillion, adding fuel to complaints that the nation’s currency policy is undermining the global economic recovery because of Beijing’s refusal to revalue the yuan, deemed undervalued by many.

China’s currency holdings rose by about US$ 48 billion in the third quarter, according to the median estimate in a Bloomberg News survey. In a few days, the People's Bank of China is expected to release the actual figure.

Comment: Chinese language studies, anyone?

When nobody will lend to America

Soon there may be nobody left to lend to America

Excerpt:

... Chinese premier Wen Jiabao said he was “a little bit worried” that America might cheapen its currency and pay back the $1.2 trillion it owes in depreciated dollars. Now that the Fed has moved, he must be a lot worried.

The Fed’s decision to pump trillions into the money markets comes on top of President Barack Obama’s proposal to drive the federal deficit to 12% of GDP by borrowing trillions to fund a few stimulus projects, universal healthcare, a green energy system and a host of other programmes on his wish list. Obama’s assurance that America will never default on its debt hasn’t completely soothed the markets: The Wall Street Journal reports that it now costs seven times as much to buy insurance against an American government default as it did only a year ago. Besides, America can always inflate its way out of its obligations.

Not to worry, says the president. The economy will soon be growing at an annual rate of about 4%. Along with the tax increases to be imposed on the top 2% of earners, billions from the sale of carbon-pollution permits and reductions in age-related entitlements, the growth will drive the deficit down to 3% of GDP in 2013. Unfortunately, 2% of earners can’t or won’t carry the entire burden, ...

Comment: When nobody will lend to America, we will be like Iceland!