I realized just the other day that the Pink Ponies seem to be asleep at the wheel. I mean, 2 years ago when they were hard at work we never would have witnessed double digit YOY declines in median price (let alone CS prices). So, I decided to talk to a guy who knows a guy who has an in with the ponies. It turns out not all is going well for them during the global financial crisis/recession. This is a complicated story, but I'll do my best to explain.
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See, during the good times, the ponies were doing well - too well. So well in fact that the NYSE trading prices on rainbows began to explode through the roof. As you can see here, while housing (green) went up, the price of rainbows increased even faster.
It soon became too expensive to purchase the rainbows required to keep propping up housing prices. The value added to each house couldn't make up for the rainbow cost. Locally, this hit home in the middle of 2007, when ponies simply could not afford to buy rainbows at any price. Those holding rainbows still contended that they were worth peak prices however, and the market essentially froze.
Until the 2nd quarter of 2008, when we saw such a pronounced decline in rainbow valuations as sellers were forced to confront the truth. While many ponies maintained their delusions, a few were forced to sell. Perhaps their health was ailing, they were getting a divorce (yes pink ponies get divorces too), or they simply had found a better gig in California where the weather is nicer. Regardless of why they sold, sell they did.
Unfortunately, the rainbow bubble (as it was now exposed) had sucked in all the ponies. Many had put their entire life savings into purchasing rainbows as it was clear prices would continue to rise forever. Clearly, the ponies were facing tough times. Further, they don't just use rainbows to magically boost the price of housing, ponies also eat of their flavorful goodness and shelter themselves under a rainbow's blissful glow each night.
Some ponies went hungry, but others turned evil
and violent.
As chaos reigned, ponies died by the thousands. And that's the story of why Pink Ponies are no longer working in concert to hold up housing prices.