I'm not saying I'm some kind of economic genius or anything. HOWEVER.

I've been saying this for the past 2 weeks:

Deflation

I love how the experts keep referring to the "small chance" and the "remote possibility" of a deflationary spiral.

To recap the blindingly obvious (to anyone who hasn't been living in a cave for the past...um, ever): Everyone Is Broke. Credit is Maxed. The consumer, the driving engine of the US economic beast, is out of freaking gas. Prices are dropping to compete for that ever-smaller slice of market share for everything. (PERFECT example: The 1.99 Hardee's Mini Thickburger ad. This sandwich is smaller and cheaper, and touted as a replacement for, the old, $5.49 big Thickburger.) TA DA...Deflation!!! and downward and downward it goes.

To quote Futurama's fabulous Amy Wong: "Well, shpluh."

Mark my words this day: deflation is *here*, kids. In short order the pundits falling all over themselves to proclaim how NO one saw this coming.

To paraphrase the brilliant screenwriter William Goldman: "The first rule is, no one knows anything."