Now, suppose that a homeowner puts down only 3% of their own money or 3.5% for the FHA. That means if prices go down by only 3%, the house will be in negative equity and it would pay the homeowner just to walk away and say, "The house now is worth less than the mortgage I owe. I think I'm just going to move out and buy a cheaper house." So it's very risky when you have only a 3% or 3.5% equity for the loan. The bank really isn't left with much cushion as collateral.
Michael HudsonWhen economists speak of money, they neglect that all money and credit is debt. That is the essence of bookkeeping and accounting. There are always two sides to the balance sheet. And one partyโs money or savings is another party
Michael HudsonThere are many ways to create economic suicide on a national level. The major way through history has been through indebting the economy. Debt always expands to reach a point where it cannot be paid by a large swathe of the economy. This is the point where austerity is imposed and ownership of wealth polarizes between the One Percent and the 99 Percent.
Michael HudsonNo price is too high to pay to try to make the financial system go on a little bit longer. But ultimately it can't be saved, because of the mathematics that are involved.
Michael HudsonEurope is acting in a very self-destructive manner, but is doing so because it's trying to be loyal to the United States.
Michael HudsonOne of the big problems in America's economic polarization and shrinkage is that pensions can't be paid. So there are going to be defaults on pensions here, just like Europeans are insisting in rolling back pensions. You can look at Greece and Argentina as the future of America.
Michael HudsonThe establishment Trump talked about wasnโt really Wall Street. He said, โWhen Washington got rich.โ Bernie Sanders would have said, โWhen Wall Street got rich, the country didnโt.โ So I think when Donald Trump says "Washington," what he means is the government regulatory agencies.
Michael Hudson