i think this issue will prevail in uk and usa.. its related to the 'sub prime' we are eharing about - real estate is the core of a countries economy and uk and usa are powerful economies,, we have had a recovery int he amrkets but the problem is still there, basically there is debt in teh economy that has been passed on from financial institiutions to large banks to the biggest banks - basically someone is still owed moeny. in the uk we had a problem with northern rock and i beleive ireland is coming into this position as uk and us investors are not invesing there..
basically be careful if you are in construction or retail becasue these will be the most affected..