The Yellow Machines Go Silent

Paris – What should you do if you are running out of time and money? This is the question we get from readers over 50… over 60… and sometimes over 70.

We baby boomers were famously “na… na… na… live for today.” Now, it's tomorrow. And many of us – often through no fault of our own – are having trouble making ends meet.

At the Diary, we write about the world of money. About economic policy and how it affects you. But what if, in your world of money, you are running short? What should you do to get more? Check under the seat cushions? Rob a bank?

We'll come back to this question in a few moments. First, let's take a look at the big picture.

It appears that the world economy is headed for recession. An economy makes and takes. Whatever you make – whether it is an apartment building or a plastic toy – you have to begin by taking dirt out of the ground.

Caterpillar-made fleet of mining trucks

Photo credit: Caterpillar

You need to dig a hole before you can put up a building… or even make a parking lot. And you need to scrape up raw materials – copper, iron, oil, etc. – before you can make anything at all.

This requires machines. Yellow machines. When economic activity goes down… so do sales of these machines. Yellow machines move dirt. They are used in construction, mining, and every sort of resource industry. We're talking about backhoes… tractors… forklifts… excavators… bulldozers… and loaders.

Ominously, demand for these machines – along with the stuff they move – is collapsing. Two of the biggest suppliers are Caterpillar in the U.S. and JCB in Britain. Both report catastrophic drops in sales.

Caterpillar says its sales have fallen three years in a row. And it expects a fall of another 5% next year. This marks the first time in its 90-year history that sales have fallen four years straight.