Tokyo stocks on Deepavali 2007 at 26 year low

World markets slide further;

Nikkei at 26-year low

HONG KONG: World markets resumed their slide on Monday, with Japan's Nikkei stock index falling to a 26-year low, as government rescue measures failed to ease fears of a prolonged global recession.

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Achilles' observation:

Looks like the prophecy of some wise men last year (2007) made during a dinner is slowly but surely coming true. It was then the peak of everything, oil price at record high, commodities such as palm oil at record high, tin, gold and whatever metal are all at record high. Of course the stock market was at record high too together with extended credits on loans and house prices were then at record high.

What was observed was back in the roaring 20s (1920s to be precise), everything then were at record high from rubber, tin, gold and and economies were exhilarated with new found usage and demands soring from industrialization. Stock market then was at record high (then).

What followed as we now have in every economic literature, was the Great Depression. The wise men prophesied the coming of another great depression, given the identical symptoms and similar causes for the high prices.... a bubble, a big big bubble that got bigger than a layman could ever imagine.

Bear Sterns was the start of what we have now. Will be have World Depression II? We had the Great War during the 1910s. The 2nd great war was named World War II and the Great War renamed World War I. The coming of another great depression seems imminent but those in authority seems quite concerted in moving towards preventing the collapse (judging from the learnt experience from the other depression). If that happens, will we have World Depression II and rename the Great Depression as World Depression I? I certainly hope such would not materialise.

The world didn't learn from the Great War and that lead to the 2nd great war. Hope is all we have. Consumers' confidence is utmost required to save the world, not the trillions of 'printed money' churned out by the governments. The more they print and pump into the system, the worse it will be.

The bubble had burst. We must blow new but manageable bubbles to fuel the economies. Those with cash must invest and consumers must spend. Else, the ironical but famous oxymoron "paradox of thrift" be out from the Pandora's box. Everyone starts to cut, from governments, banks, those who have, leaving those who have not to face once again, the deserted markets.