8.27.2005

You're never too old to go straight

Moving away from his characteristic ambiguity on the housing bubble, Fed Chairman Alan Greenspan is making himself clear:

WALL STREET shuddered yesterday after Alan Greenspan, the United States’ central banker, warned American homebuyers that they risk a crash if they continue to drive property prices higher.

He said that the US house-price spiral had become an economic imbalance, threatening stability like the country’s trade gap or its budget deficit.

In a pre-retirement speech to fellow central bankers at Jackson Hole, Wyoming, Mr Greenspan said that people were investing in houses as if they were a one-way bet, not allowing for the risk of price falls. He said “history had not dealt kindly” with investors who kept ignoring risks.


I think Greenspan has been negligent in allowing the bubble to develop, but it's nice to see that he's finally coming around. If the bubble pops after he retires next year, he'll be able to say "See, I told you so!"

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