Wikipedia has a great entry on the subprime housing bubble for anyone who wants a primer on the bubble and a subprime housing bubble timeline. Follow the link here. This a pretty comprehensive entry with some pretty heady stuff and a lot of good bits of information like:
- A timeline from February 2007
- A look back at media reports that recognized the bubble as it happened
- A discussion of probable causes of the bubble
- A graphical representation of Robert Shiller’s Home Price Index
- The approximate cost to own mortgaged property vs. renting
- The equivalent price-to-earnings (P/E) ratio for homes.
- The differential relationship between interest rates and affordability.
Bookmark this page now! You can consider this Wikipedia entry as the definitive compilation of facts and background related to how the U.S. housing bubble began, what the ultimate causes were and an explanation of a load of technical terms related to the mortgage and housing industry. It is incredibly comprehensive, very well researched and a great first stop to get a full view on the housing bubble.
Has anyone else read this Wikipedia entry? What do you think of it?
I have a very good timeline of credit writedowns here on my site.
Credit Crisis Timeline