The strength of the US dollar long ago passed the point at which it was helpful.

Calling it a "strong dollar" was just an Orwellian trick to confuse people into thinking its beneficial to the average American.

As it is now it is just a de facto tariff that makes US goods more expensive. But when many capital goods are already priced in US dollars globally the strengthening dollar doesn't actually create greater spending power.

But yeah, if you're into collecting condos and mansions in foreign cities, it is kick-ass.

Language matters. We shouldn't adopt the language that the mansion/condo collecting crowd wants to push on us.

I have a conspiracy theory that this economic slowdown is supposed to herald a conservative, Republican win in November.

What it is really going to do is boost Bernie Sanders.

What a bunch of idiots running the show.

I do not want an economic slowdown, but I predicted it would happen because the oligarchs want a conservative in the presidency.

I think they made a big mistake. Bernie Sanders will benefit from this, not the Republicans.

This election is about bringing the oligarchs down a notch and boosting the middle class. It's Bernie or bust for 2016.

Bernie or bust.

And the oligarchs want the bust. The people want Bernie.

When you are in that .1% you can loose 90% of your wealth and have enough to live on very well for the rest of your life. The rest of us if we loose 10% we are toast.

Each person acting in their own self interest causes the self-fulfilling prophacy to come to reality.

If everyone thinks a recession is coming, they pull their money out of the economy and cause a recession.

Do any of you have any perspective on this?

I am paid in dollars, but live in euros, so I have to keep a close eye on the exchange rate, as my spending power depends upon it completely. Same goes for my daughter, who works for an American employer in Frankfurt am Main.

Two years ago, the euro was $1.35. It had been as high as $1.59. Last November, it was $1.05. In the last 2 weeks, the euro has gone from 1.079 to 1.111 today. The euro is still a bargain, and the dollar is still way stronger than it has been in a long time. The euro could rise to $1.15 and it would still be cheap compared to the last 12 years overall. Maybe it makes a difference if you're Mercedes calculating 1.7% less return for a few billion worth of cars exported to the USA. If that is who is posting here about the great calamity this is, then I understand. But to us normal mortals, it doesn't much change things.