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"Another Bubble" in Housing? It Could Happen, Says Yale's Robert Shiller

Posted Jul 13, 2009 08:30am EDT by Aaron Task
The slowing rate of decline in home prices is likely to continue but the housing market is "still in an abysmal situation," says Robert Shiller, a professor of economics at Yale. The co-creator of the S&P Case-Shiller Index, which tracks national housing prices, says the housing market could "languish for many years," due to the "huge inventory" of unsold holds, "shadow inventory" of homes kept off the market by banks and other potential sellers, and "a lot of financial problems."

But incredibly, the author of Animal Spirits (with George Akerlof), The Subprime Solution and Irrational Exuberance believes "there could be another bubble" in housing, once the excess inventory is worked off. "This is not my more probable scenario [but] people have gotten very speculative in their attitudes toward housing," he says.

Shiller cites Boston as one area for a potential echo-bubble in housing, noting its typically volatile market did not fall in the past two years as dramatically as "more bubbly" cities like Phoenix. The professor and bubble expert isn't predicting it, but the fact he's even mulling the possibility is eye-opening, to say the least.

Whether you think the housing bubble is going to collapse further or reinflate, Shiller's firm MacroMarkets recently listed two indexes on the NYSE Arca that allow investors to place their bets (or hedge their own housing exposure): The bullish Major Metro Up (NYSE: UMM) and the bearish Major Metro Down (NYSE: DMM).

Going forward, Shiller hopes to offer similar securities for specific cities and geographic areas.

164 Comments

Whit Chambers
Whit Chambers - Monday July 13, 2009 08:43AM EDT

The 2005-2006 bubble has only deflated partially and has yet to burst. When it does, the fair value will overshoot on the downside. How much?

Mike
Mike - Monday July 13, 2009 08:49AM EDT

Housing won't bottom until unemployment slows or stops... it's a vicious cycle... no job, can't pay the mortgage, can't pay mortgage then home is short sold or forclosed (driving down comps and appraised values). Second stimulus is coming - this time to the consumer. Need to be $5,000 per tax payer, $10,000 per couple. This will revive our economy.

boxngatekpr
boxngatekpr - Monday July 13, 2009 08:58AM EDT

Who's going to prop us the housing market, the unemployed consumer? The fraud that was commited to inflate prices was orchestrated by the fed to replace the wealth effect lost when the stock market flopped in 2000. It's all about illusion. A country with a then negative savings rate and everyone is walking around thinking thay are rich. You had to be a fool.

Tex
Tex - Monday July 13, 2009 08:59AM EDT

This guy is really hedging his bet. He don't want to be underexposed are overexposed. I sure wouldn't take advice from him.

Reedersong
Reedersong - Monday July 13, 2009 09:04AM EDT

Well, maybe 10 years from now or something.

Reedersong
Reedersong - Monday July 13, 2009 09:05AM EDT

I think "Dead Bounce" is all we will see in the near future.

Yahoo! Finance User
Yahoo! Finance User - Monday July 13, 2009 09:08AM EDT

obama is a bubble... he's a socialist bubble... the shear hysteria of obama being potus is a bubble... the bloom is of the rose of obama... however the bubble loon lefties still think obama is going to make their car payment and put gas in their car.....obama's hope and change bubble is bursting.... obama the socialist is getting exposed as the moron destroying America....

- Monday July 13, 2009 09:13AM EDT

The jobs available in NJ pays 10 an hour lol. I can buy a 400k home with that.

Yahoo! Finance User
Yahoo! Finance User - Monday July 13, 2009 09:15AM EDT

Is this like saying that there is a 50% chance the housing market will pick up, but there also is a 50% chance that it will not?

Elmer
Elmer - Monday July 13, 2009 09:38AM EDT

Yes housing prices will go up with the Stagflation that Obama is trying to create, however in real dollars we will see downward pressure under the current administration polices.

JASPER
JASPER - Monday July 13, 2009 09:39AM EDT

level recovery.........2013

JOSLIN
JOSLIN - Monday July 13, 2009 09:44AM EDT

I am not a Obama fan, but give the guy a chance. He cannot correct the mistakes of one party in office for 8 years and do it in 7 months. Time and patience will bring us back eventually. (I hope)

- Monday July 13, 2009 09:50AM EDT

2nd housing bubble? Of course....the bank inventory of foreclosed homes number into the hundreds of thousands according to real estate tracking reports. The banks can not release all these homes into the open market in large numbers or it would drive the prices even lower. When 2.4 million people a month are still losing their jobs, it is obvious the foreclosures and bankruptcies will continue well into 2010. The commercial real estate bankruptcies are just now starting and will drag more local banks down with them.

Yahoo! Finance User
Yahoo! Finance User - Monday July 13, 2009 09:52AM EDT

So many pundits on this board.

Yahoo! Finance User
Yahoo! Finance User - Monday July 13, 2009 09:52AM EDT

Hey Everybody..."Knows" That the Housing Market is going to Continue.....Its "DOWNWARD" Spiral For Another... 4..5 Years...Maybe Even LONGER..Who Really Knows ???? Except Of Course...The Real Estate "People" If You Listen To THEM......They Will Drown You With ALL OF THEIR...."B.S."...Now is the Time To Buy....Yeah RIGHT.....They Just Want To MAKE A BUCK...Out Of Your..."Ignorance"....Save Your MONEY....And Wait....Anothe 4 - 5 Years....!!!!! Amen.

Yahoo! Finance User
Yahoo! Finance User - Monday July 13, 2009 09:57AM EDT

How do you get another bubble when you can't get a loan? Shiller is off the mark with this one. Until wages start increasing, home prices are not going to go up. The only way to get housing prices to increase is for supply to go down, and after tax income to increase. I don't see that happening. The redistribution of wealth is still being distributed to the top 1%.

Yahoo! Finance User
Yahoo! Finance User - Monday July 13, 2009 09:58AM EDT

Don't by overpriced housing from losers - or you become the loser.

RG
RG - Monday July 13, 2009 09:59AM EDT

Obama is no different than socialists Reagan, Bush SR and GW Bush = all were massive deficit spenders who freely and wilingly spent billions upon billions of US taxpayer dollars to line the pockets of their selected cronies. Reagan is the modern day father of deficit spending and fiscal irresponsibility. He ran up massive deficits, refused to pay for them with appropriate taxes and left the mess to the next guy to clean up. Same exact pattern as repeated by GW Shrub Bush = left nothing but an economic and massive fiscal mess for Obama to inherit, and now you looney GOPtards want to blame him for what Shrub Bush started??? LMFAO Oh,, and who started all the bailouts with AIG and the Big 3 autos???? How about GW Shrub Bush idiots. LOL

Yahoo! Finance User
Yahoo! Finance User - Monday July 13, 2009 10:03AM EDT

It's the rich greedy Wall Street gang that owns you folk griping about Obama and socialism - they have become much more powerful under Bush and the republicans as you have become poorer. Obama is your best chance against them.

Charles S
Charles S - Monday July 13, 2009 10:05AM EDT

7 months in office and he is a socialist....I suspect that the ones calling him that refi'd the house using an ARM, put that extra in the market....lost when Bush let the market do its thing letting Lehman Brothers collapse and is now 30% underwater and looking at that ARM resetting shortly...

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