Canada Housing Bubble Pops and Looks Similar to US Housing Bubble: Canada’s Largest Alternative Mortgage Lender Crashes in Dramatic Fashion.
The Canadian housing market is now facing a crisis like moment as the United States did in 2007. While the U.S. housing market did undergo a correction, the Canadian housing market just kept moving up. Canada has one of the largest housing bubbles ever witnessed in North America. People may recall that in the U.S. we had mortgage lenders like toxic junk pusher New Century Financial that imploded in grandiose fashion because of their corrupt and mathematically dubious products that they were peddling to the market. Well in Canada, the tip of the iceberg is now being exposed. Home Capital Group tanked by 60 percent after announcing that it needed emergency liquidity. Of course this is just the start of the correction for our neighbors in the north.
The epic retirement crisis for older Americans: The median family of retirement age has $12,000 in savings.
Given the discussion of 401ks and IRAs you would think that most Americans have a nice nest egg ready to support them into their margarita drinking days on the beach. Yet like most dreams, the reality is very different. Most Americans are broke. The Economist put out some data highlighting that the median family of retirement age has $12,000 in savings. In other words, one minor injury and you are bankrupt. It is a troubling contrast to the image that is portrayed on television and throughout the media of the fully financially prepared family. Life just doesn’t work out that way for most. Unsuspected illnesses, job losses, stagnant wages, inflation, family changes, and student debt all throw a wrench into the plans of most. What is also startling is that this drought in retirement savings is happening at a time when the stock market is near an all time high. So what gives?
The Great Retail Apocalypse: Americans spend more at bars and restaurants than at grocery stores.
The list of retail bankruptcies continues to grow in 2017. The list includes J.C. Penney, Sears, RadioShack, and just recently Payless. Of course there is massive growth in dollar stores as Americans are pinched for cash. There has been a retail apocalypse and part of this has to do with the ridiculous amount of mall space that has been built out over the last few decades. Just like Blockbuster not seeing Netflix coming, many malls simply assumed things would never change. Then we get Amazon. The game has been fully upended and people simply choose to be more selective with what they buy. For the first time ever, Americans spent more money on bars and restaurants than at grocery stores. Habits are changing and the Millennial generation simply has different interests.
Miami condo market acting as if it is 2007: Condo market in Miami is saturated with units and inventory is growing.
There is a major leading indicator in the housing market and that involves inventory and sales. These two economic points can signal trouble ahead. And we saw this trend unfold in the last housing crisis when over euphoric builders chased bubbles across the country. The sad part is that most Americans are too broke to afford a home. So the condo market in Miami is seeing a big surge in inventory while sales decline – obviously these two indicators feed into each other. The euphoria in real estate is running red hot and it is no surprise that Florida is at it again. Is this simply an isolated market or is there something larger brewing in the nationwide housing market?