House buyers thought housing prices would go up forever. So did the people who lent them money. Of course, fantasies were behind the whole boom. Americans lived beyond their means and thought they could do so indefinitely.

The US dollar has fallen to a new record low against the Euro and a 3-year low against the Japanese yen today. However, the EUR/USD’s intraday correction has many traders wondering whether they should stay short US dollars.

The Royal Bank of Canada is expected to ease rates by 25 points from 4.00%, although expectations are increasing that a 50 point cut may be in store, as a U.S. downturn is weighing on the Canadian economy.

Currency strategist Boris Schlossberg analyzes the major currencies for the week of March 3.

Tim Bourquin interviews Chris Perruna, who talks about the three stock screens he uses each night, and why he likes stocks that are about to bounce off their 200-day moving average.

Professional system trader Art Collins shares his daily biases in the index, bonds and currency futures markets for March 3.

This week John Mauldin looks at several different definitions of inflation.

On a trade-weighted basis, the dollar closed the week at a fresh record low. However, against some of the currency’s more aggressive counterparts, the pang of doubt in risk trends helped to keep the greenback from much worse.

Are we now, at long last, faced with a long, slow slump a la Japan? There’s a whole ocean of difference between an island nation with huge savings, a thrifty population and an enormously positive trade balance, and a stretched-out empire, possibly in decline, running record deficits in its external trade and internal government finances, with an aging, over-paid, over-indebted workforce.

Upcoming, ISM Manufacturing may give an insight into the direction of the U.S. economy as its prices paid and employment components are leading indicators for future CPI data and Nonfarm payrolls.