BW did you read my post... I read mine then yours three times now to try and work out how you came to the conclusion you did...

Re-read it.. i said MY country has lovely high interest rates and that is why US investors like to ship their money over here... he have a favourable exchange rate normally and highish interest rates... that does not mean that my country is the top economy... people move to different currencies for various reasons, not because that is the most solid...

see your americanocentrism detaches you from reality

OMG printscreen!!

@East

<see your americanocentrism detaches you from reality>

Greece is the foundation of Western Civilization
Rome is Greece
America is Rome
___

America is the foundation of Western Civilization.

BW, I have read the entire thread. I was merely writing that big gains are easier from a lower base. To go away from your point entirely and to consider it from a different perspective:
Established economies like the US/UK grow say 2% a year. But this is 2% on a $40,000 GDPpp base (i.e $800 per person). The Chinese economy may grow 10% a year, but that's 10% on a $4000 base (i.e $400 per person).
That is the headline figure for Chinese economic growth may be more impressive BUT each year the TOTAL gap is still increasing in the US/UK person's favour.

Going back to currencies and markets. I do not see any evidence that the US is seen as more secure than the EuroZone economies. More secure than Italy (obviously), Spain (d'uh of course), and Greece (but who isn't?). However, the German and French economies are fairly sound. Do not assume that if the DOW does better than other stock markets it means anything about the domestic US economy. So many companies are global and there are all sorts of investment profiles to consider.
Therefore a few % change in currency valuations or stock market valuations does not necessarily reflect anything.

I do agree that fundamentally a $11,000,000,000,000 economy is a good bet - better than a $500,000,000,000 economy. The sheer size of the US economy ultimately protects it.

And gas went down to $2.60 a gallon.

2.80 here in NY, not bad, it'll get worse though.

@BW

Doesn't China own a massive quantity of of US Treasury Bonds?  They've been buying them up for years now.  Does that worry you at all?

i remember a few years back seeing on, of all stations, FOX news, that america isnt that dependent on OPEC oil, over 60% comes from our own reserves, OPECs role isnt as large as it may seem in america, however Europe gets over 80% of its oil from OPEC.

and china will never get anywhere at the rate its going.  it has a massive growth, this much is true, but their blatant pollution and costs associated with that brings the growth down to almost break even.  if you want to grow (long term) as a nation, you have to realize that you cannot simply take take take and do what you want without ever thinking about consequences or your resource base, there will be repercussions.  a massive manufacturing base and trillions in your coffers means nothing when your population is dying in droves, then you've achieved nothing at all.

um, those 1.2 billion will be shit outta luck when theres no clean water or workable land.

well... i guess they can just live off of gatorade and twinkies.

Imagine that....Germany gets 30% of its oil from Russia.  It truly is a new era.

420..... Ive always said this about China, and it PISSES off the Supreme Leftists on this forum....

China still shits in the river upstream, and drinks the water down stream.
They are no where near the level of the "west."

from what i read the US can produce up to 1/3 of its daily demand of oil by themselves.
the oil fox was reporting about was probablly coming from your own oil.. it was just not imported by OPEC.
much from venezuela though.. funny.. you all blame chavez and still buy the oil produced by his socialist oil companies.
15% of all imports i just read.

that not really better then buying it from russia i

Schniep, the reference to Germany buying Russian oil was only the historical significance of that.....going back centuries.

Yea, buying oil from Venezuela is a sorry state, but we do have long term contracts, and befor Chavez, the US was going to rely on Venezuela for much more than they are purchasing now.

Oil is set by the market, give or take a few cents im sure.