# Which hurts more, the credit crunch or commodity prices

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-hurts-more-the-credit-crunch-or-commodity-prices/457537>\
**Category:** Great Debates\
**Created:** [July 23, 2008, 9:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-hurts-more-the-credit-crunch-or-commodity-prices/457537 "2008-07-23T21:22:44Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 6\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![sweeteviljesus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/898d66/32.png) [@sweeteviljesus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sweeteviljesus)\
**Post date:** [July 23, 2008, 9:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-hurts-more-the-credit-crunch-or-commodity-prices/457537/1 "2008-07-23T21:22:44Z")

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Which is hurting the economy more right now?

Thanks for your help,  
Rob

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**Author:** ![Leaffan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leaffan/32/299_2.png) [@Leaffan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaffan)\
**Post date:** [July 23, 2008, 9:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-hurts-more-the-credit-crunch-or-commodity-prices/457537/2 "2008-07-23T21:28:10Z")

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Commodity prices here. Of course I don’t know where you are.

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**Author:** ![sweeteviljesus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/898d66/32.png) [@sweeteviljesus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sweeteviljesus)\
**Post date:** [July 23, 2008, 9:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-hurts-more-the-credit-crunch-or-commodity-prices/457537/3 "2008-07-23T21:35:26Z")

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Austin, Texas, USA.

Rob

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**Author:** ![Voyager](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voyager/32/133_2.png) [@Voyager](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Voyager)\
**Post date:** [July 23, 2008, 9:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-hurts-more-the-credit-crunch-or-commodity-prices/457537/4 "2008-07-23T21:51:20Z")

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Personally it is commodity prices, because I have a fixed rate mortgage and no other debt. But I think that it is the credit crunch for the economy as a whole. That’s depressing market prices and increasing the number of foreclosures, which is clobbering new construction (down 48% over last year in CA if I remember the story this morning correctly) which is hurting employment. The inability of people to cash in any remaining equity is also hurting sales. I think that is a bigger hit than the reduction in purchasing power due to higher gas and food prices.

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**Author:** ![XT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/xt/32/456_2.png) [@XT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/XT)\
**Post date:** [July 23, 2008, 10:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-hurts-more-the-credit-crunch-or-commodity-prices/457537/5 "2008-07-23T22:03:33Z")

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Credit crunch if we are talking about the economy.

-XT

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**Author:** ![mazinger\_z](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/5f9b8f/32.png) [@mazinger\_z](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mazinger_z)\
**Post date:** [July 23, 2008, 10:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-hurts-more-the-credit-crunch-or-commodity-prices/457537/6 "2008-07-23T22:45:20Z")

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No doubt for me, it’s credit crunch. I haven’t really noticed/been affected by commodity pricing. I probably should have commodities in my portfolio because I hear that that’s the new bubble. But, the credit crunch affects my corporation and ultimately my job. We have a tougher time in terms of procurement (buying on credit), and from what my friends in M&A tell me, we have a harder time securing loans and issuing bonds. So far, though, it’s just a big annoyance, though it might get a whole lot worse before it gets better.