Shalom All, especially in the USofA:

Dollar's Decline Is Reverberating
http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=2026&u=/latimests/20041114/ts_latimes/dollarsdeclineisreverberating&printer=1
---clips---
Foreigners have been regularly buying nearly half of all debt issued by the
U.S. government. On Sept. 9, for the first time that anyone could remember,
they stayed home.

But the episode demonstrated how much the U.S. economy is dependent on other
countries to bankroll its free-spending ways. That fragility is becoming even
more precarious because of recent declines in the U.S. dollar to multiyear
lows, some economists say.

Much of the second-quarter shortfall was in goods: for every $20 in products
American manufacturers sent overseas, U.S. consumers bought $36 in foreign
electronics, cars and other items.

The current account deficit has risen from 1% of gross domestic product in
1990 to 5.4%.

That doesn't seem like much, and in the short term it isn't, said James
Gipson, chairman of the $7-billion equity mutual fund Clipper Fund, in a
letter to shareholders. But just like credit card debt, it compounds over the
long term.

What happened was never explained, but neither was it repeated.

"It turned out to be a fluke," said Kim Rupert, managing director for global
fixed-income analysis at Action Economics, a consulting firm. "But at first
blush, it was 'Oh my gosh.' "
---end clips---

This country's $ and economy is so globalized.  Points again to the importance
of what Yeshua said about having our treasure in Heaven and not on earth.

Dianne
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http://home.centurytel.net/grafted-promise/endtimeline.html
P.S.  23 days to Chanukah.