Roubini NYT DealBook Interview – U.S. Real Estate Problems are ‘Underappreciated’
Dr. Doom Predicts Another $1 Trillion in Housing Losses By EVELYN M. RUSLI
As Nouriel Roubini heads to Athens to meet with investors and policymakers potentially about the debt crisis in Europe, the economist says he’s increasingly worried about a problem closer to home: America’s real estate mess.
The country’s real estate problems are “underappreciated,” and banks could face another $1 trillion in housing-related losses, Mr. Roubini said in a phone interview with DealBook on Monday. At the same time, he played down the issues in Ireland, Greece, Portugal and Spain, calling the matter “contained” for now.
The United States “real estate market, for sure, is double dipping,” Mr. Roubini said. “The apparent increase in prices has been fully reversed, demand is falling, and supply is going to increase.”
The drumbeat of bad news grows louder. Sales of existing homes fell more than expected in October, down 2.2 percent to an annual rate of 4.43 million, the lowest level in more than a decade, according to the National Association of Realtors. After rising in the second quarter, Standard & Poor’s Case-Schiller home price index fell 2 percent in the third quarter.
Read MORE
Comments are closed.
