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Economists Fear It's Too Late to Save Economy

Measures now won't have impact for months

By Jim O'Neill,  Newser User

Posted Jan 13, 2008 7:41 AM CST

(Newser) – It may already be too late to quickly stop the economic tailspin triggered by the implosion of the housing market and booming energy prices, several experts believe, reports the New York Times. Perhaps the best that can be done is to make the crunch hurt a little less. “The question is not whether we will have a recession, but how deep and prolonged it will be,” said one analyst.

Any action taken now won't likely have an impact until much later in 2008, economists warn. The Bush administration and Democrats are considering nearly $100 billion in tax rebates, unemployment assistance and home heating aid, and the Fed is looking at cutting rates at least half a percent.

A foreclosure sign tops a sale sign outside an existing home on the market in northwest Denver in this Aug. 29, 2007 file photo. The Bush administration has hammered out an agreement with industry to freeze interest rates for certain subprime mortgages for five years in an effort to combat...
A foreclosure sign tops a sale sign outside an existing home on the market in northwest Denver in this Aug. 29, 2007 file photo. The Bush administration has hammered out an agreement with industry to...   (Associated Press)
Photo taken in Hong Kong 12 January 2008 shows various currency bank notes including the Hong Kong dollar, the US dollar, the Euro, Singaporean dollars and the Malaysian ringgit. Most of the world's leading industrialised nations are facing an economic slowdown while China, Russia and Brazil are expected to see...
Photo taken in Hong Kong 12 January 2008 shows various currency bank notes including the Hong Kong dollar, the US dollar, the Euro, Singaporean dollars and the Malaysian ringgit. Most of the world's leading...   (Getty Images)
Gas pricees are posted at stations in New Jersey January, 3 in Jersey City, New Jersey. The price of oil hit $100 per barrel for the first time in history this month.
Gas pricees are posted at stations in New Jersey January, 3 in Jersey City, New Jersey. The price of oil hit $100 per barrel for the first time in history this month.   (Getty Images)
Snow covers the sign outside an existing home on the market in a neighborhood south of downtown Denver on Tuesday, Dec. 25, 2007.  The upside to a housing slump is cheaper homes. But with housing prices just beginning to slide, many prospective buyers don't see bargains yet, especially as stricter...
Snow covers the sign outside an existing home on the market in a neighborhood south of downtown Denver on Tuesday, Dec. 25, 2007. The upside to a housing slump is cheaper homes. But with housing prices...   (Associated Press)
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