6.23.2008

From Subprime to Oil

I have just watched a documentary program on current money flow. In the program, a family came to the US from Mexico needed to leave their home because they could not afford to pay their loans. The children seemed very sad when they left their home. I am sure they were really happy to be able to have their own home, and it was an American dream which the Bush administration appeals. On a contrary, the voice of bankers who enforced them to leave sounded high and cheerful. They wanted the houses as soon as possible because the housing market in the US has already declined.

The family borrowed money from a bank, but that was based on assumption which their home's value climbed up year after year. Subprime loan is basically low rate for the first two years, and it goes up in the third year. So the family borrowed another subprime loan from another bank.
Once the value started falling, they could not pay as much as the banks required.

The financial products which many financial institutions and companies purchased consist of loans including subprime. Now, many companies face with problems of losses.

The world is still filled with much money. In the documentary, an American guy who once worked for Bear Stearns is still selling the new type of financial products which consists of loans and oil prices. The oil prices moves up and down everyday. If it is "bubble" or just money game, another type of crisis will happen. This was a message from the program.