Watch out, the greenback is going into the toaster oven…here’s what Nouriel Roubini had to say in The New York Times:
“We may now be entering the Asian century, dominated by a rising China and its currency. This decline of the dollar might take more than a decade, but it could happen even sooner if we do not get our financial house in order. The United States must rein in spending and borrowing, and pursue growth that is not based on asset and credit bubbles. For the last two decades America has been spending more than its income, increasing its foreign liabilities and amassing debts that have become unsustainable.”
Yes, it could take more than a decade. But investors could take a big loss any day. All it would take would be a sudden move by China…or a shocking inflation figure in the United States…or a Treasury bond auction that doesn’t go as planned. Everyone is watching the United States…carefully. And foreigners hold trillions’ worth of dollar-based assets outside the United States. These are dollars that people hold, not to pay their bills or buy gasoline, but as a speculation. They’re speculating the greenback will hold its value as well or better than the other things they might do with their money.