How Quantitave Easing makes average Joe sick, hungry and poor. I.e. how QE induced inflation, low interest rate environment helps the rich as it disenfranchises the poor. By rich I mean shareholders/ MNC C-suite staffers and politicians by extension since in the Singapore context, political salaries are tagged to the highest private sector salaries (I.e. CEO level salaries) By the poor, I mean working class, retirees etc whose income is to a lesser degree from share holdings/ property rent seeking but savings/ bank savings interest in cash or kind (I.e. bank $$$ deposits) This is because every MNC KNOWS that in a high inflation low interest rate environment is an abnormality suited to make CEOs/ $$$ investors filthy rich since products manufactured at low costs (low capital costs due to low interest rates) can be sold for much higher costs depending on what the inflation rate is. It is thus a no brainer that without improving product quantity/ quality, the manufacturer (shareholders/ CEO) pockets the difference (generally assumed as) the QE/ inflation induced price increase over the artificially depressed interest rate (due to the flood of printed new $$$: aka quantitave easing (QE). Thus, whilst GDP has increased due to products costing more, there is no material gain to the quality of life of the man in the streets. To politicians however, there is the satisfaction of an IMMEDIATE improvement in salary earned since either through bribes/ lobby funds from MNCs (I am pressured to declare this absent in Sink@poor) or by benchmarking to CEO level salaries. QE is thus the construct of EVIL MEN out to rig GDP numbers in the hope of lining their own pockets at the expense of the masses or the poor. The right way to improve the lives of the poor (which would probably improve GDP WITHOUT any QE would be to improve education and the level of moral persuasion in society (better public kindness/ cooperation, environment consciousness and personal hygiene, charity etc) so that poor people can achieve their fullest creative personal potential, in moral consciousness). Inducing growth through QE is like an athlete on steriods: an illegal act with seriously detrimental future health consequences. Politicians of today who espouse QE (e.g. Abenomics) will soon be overwhelmed with the overwhelming social costs and unrest due to wealth inequality caused by QE. Shame on QE promoting politicians, the miseries that they will suffer in Hell are well deserved/ self-inflicted. Illustrations: Benchmarking political salaries to the highest possible: Ben Bernanke (@FED Chairman) giving printed $$$ to his friends (MNCs in exchange for some sham bonds to keep interest rates artificially low): (Pict source) Singaporean politicians leveraging on the indignity of mean, corrupt & greedy capitalist to demand higher salaries (misrepresenting the meaning of the term 'dignity'): How much $$$ the Singapore gahmen has since printed, leveraging on USA FED QE as a lame excuse. [pict source: https://secure.mas.gov.sg/msb-xml/Re...=I&tableID=I.1 ] The ultimate outcome of all this QE: a quality of life for the average citizen, no different/ worse than that of the average Zimbabwean given that the Zimbabweans have ALREADY learnt their lesson (not to trust Mugabe too much)... Cash that can buy NOTHING... Caption: Currency to exchange for gold please- takers, anyone?[Image source] More Picts: Children of rich Singapore politicians jeering at/ abusing poor people: Wee Shu Min elitism controversy Lawlessness/ legal bias in Singapore: (Pict source) The man/ system behind it all (In Singapore that is)...
Quantitave Easing is like illegal stimulant drugs: one ALWAYS regrets taking it...(e.g. crystal meth: http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Methamphetamine ) Singapore is like any other 3rd world country that prints $$$. The question is not IF since my annexed Pict of Singapore $$$ supply over the last 22 plus years is like at a compound rate of 8.77%. The question is thus HOW MUCH which is obviously a complex question to answer since we are NO LONGER on the gold standard which would have made things easier to measure (e.g. maintaining the gold to dollar exchange rate): today however, fiat currency can only be valued at the worth of a government (intellect/ leadership capability, real, non-rigged democratic mandate, gahmen physical assets/ precious metal cache, gahmen intellectual property etc): maybe approximated by real GDP though again even real GDP figures are easily rigged for short term benefit such as by using QE to artificially surpress currency interest rates/ importing cheap labour from abroad using dictatorial powers so that GDP gets a sterile boost even if such lax immigration policies result in social mayhem down the road. So yes, the $inkie gahmen knows no better than any other bankrupt 3rd world state but to copy the USA in its QE efforts by similarly/ responsively/ proportionately rigging USD:SGD rates (as the USA FED depreciates theirs) so the exchange rate remains constant when the lack of QE by Singapore would have led the SGD to naturally strengthen: which the gahmen refuses to do since they know that innovation and productivity of Singapore is currently sub-par and so the only way to defend exports is to let the SGD depreciate +/- the USD depreciation rate. Judging by gold/ property/asset prices, SGD value has depreciated a lot: thus the grouses by many about how the 5Cs have become more so out of reach and how health care (HC) has become unaffordable, even when these (HC/ HDB) were generally affordable to earlier generations during their respective chronological periods. Retirees have also complained about healthcare inflation far exceeding the interest paid on their savings $$$ resulting in healthcare becoming beyond the means for most. Praise QE/ Abenomics to high heaven if you wish or deny SG incumbent politicians participation, yet U have to destroy the incontrovertible evidence of $$$ printing by SG gahmen to the tune of 8.77% p.a. average over last 22 yrs to say so... Put blinkers over your own eyes if U want to, but my eyes will sieve out the truth: always. QE without structural reform focused upon raising the plight of the poor is like upgrading the engine oil ($$$) to that of the highest quality at the expense of leaving the axle broken (rampant political corruption/ incompetence e.g. Olympus, Fukushima nuclear kahboom etc) and the steering loose (poorly trained/ educated population, low fertility rate etc) any plain car mechanic will tell you that you have gotten your priorities really MISPLACED.
QE has probably been giving the US a bit of a free ride, but it seems that the world is gradually shifting away from the dollar. http://www.latitudenews.com/story/world-abandoning-u-s-dollar/
QE is basically printing $$$. The world can see how powerful China manifucturing muscle has become (like owning USD 3T foreign reserves IIRC: suggesting that China might be economically more powerful than the USA: thus the depreciation of the USD should people find lesser value saving their $$$ in USD (low interest due to QE). A depreciation of USD value would also weaken the USA since imports (raw materials, China goods etc) would all costs more, as would its military operations abroad (in USD terms). Actually, the value of the USD is at the mercy of China which can depreciate it overnight by simply selling USD in very large quantities (to buy gold etc) although China would probably NOT do this without very very good reasons to do so...
I don't think China has as much ability to sink the dollar as you think. The process of trying to dump their dollars would cheapen the very asset that they hold. It doesn't make sense unless they want to beggar themselves just to get back at the US for some reason. The US is in much greater danger of losing global reserve currency status. That would damage the US economy far more than China unilaterally trying to dump their dollars.
By "very very good reasons" I mean war or something that bad between the top 2 GDP states: thus what U have said is generally correct for all intents and purposes, less thermo nuclear war... Guess the greater risk to USA stability is internal strife: wealth divide, lack of opportunity in poor communities: e.g. in the recent Missouri shooting case that resulted in massive street riots.: let it fester, an the civil war/ terrorism as seen perpetuated by ISIS could well occur in the heart of america... My 2ยข. Thanks for commenting though...
Yes more rapidly than before. Once the East has this new "SWIFT" system set up the US will no longer be able to control global payments and will lose reserve currency status. http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2014-...nal-payment-system-bid-reduce-dependence-west While all the EastErn countries have shelve Obama's TPP agreement they are stepping up trade in APEC (which we weren't invited to of course. The US now borrows more than 50% of every dollar spent and will have to default when they are no longer able to force countries to use the USD. I don't see that time being very far off and the more they try to keep their thumb on countries through sanctions and murderous food and medicine embargos the quicker the rest of the world will be to drop those dollars. We need to get rid of this admin that s in Washington before their hubris and arrogance destroy us completely. Just yesterday another huge deal was made in the East. http://thebricspost.com/xi-assent-to-trilateral-summit-with-russia-mongolia/#.U_d9djbD_IU
