I had a feeling you were aussie.1) Australia
2) I don't know what causes it in the USA, but here in Australia it's mainly been a combination of the negative gearing regime (one can own an investment property, and if the expenses and more than the income, it's a tax write off) going out of control, excess demand driven largely by immigration getting out of control, and excessive FOMO.
So am I.
Currently living on the north side of brisie.
I'd like to get back to you on my response as I'm pretty well ready to call it a night bit ill have a quick go a.
The problem is usery. And the government.
The political system and the banking system are now interlinked inextricably.
We've handed over the keys to print money to the very people that depend on spending money to get re elected and line there own pockets in the meantime.
Our money is getting inflated away while they export natural resources to buy back shit cheaper. Meanwhile gutting the good paying jobs that were once here.
Only problem now is China is having a labour shortage via a birth decline and we're paying the same as we would have been or more for worse quality shit as if we would have always made it here to begin with ( thanks nafta )
People have been dumping their money into hard assets like housing because inflation makes the dollar worth shit.
Housing regulations make it 20× what the cost of building itself would be.
The boomers never had the problems we suffer . They have been placated their entire lives because they're the biggest voting block in all of history. They've been paid fat pensions while all the hard assets that were ment to pay for that like railways, phone lines, power was sold and the government pissed away the money forcing us to pay into the inflation pyramid scheme of stock's in the form of superannuation.
I don't blame the boomers for having it better than us. I'm pointing out that this is what happens when the government and banks are tied at the hip.
This will happen everytime, always.
That's why the whole world is fucked with this same issue.
It the greatest scam ever pulled.
I know I've missed so much.
Question every single basic assumption you have. There's a reason they don't teach our kids financial economics in school.
Fuck I was about to go on about how the boomers were the last generation to get a proper education and shit but I'll leave it there.
Good night mate.