The economic news is going from bad to worse, so obviously this is a good time to stage a stock-market rally. That’s the contorted message coming out of Europe this week, on the heels of an E.U. crisis summit that was declared …
Europe
Why Thursday’s Euro Summit Really Is a Make-or-Break Moment. Really.
Once again, leaders of the 27 European Union nations are holding a crisis summit meeting to tackle a spreading economic crisis and shore up the floundering euro. Once again there are ambitious proposals on the agenda of the …
The Euro Crisis: Why Greece’s Election Doesn’t Matter
Despite all the attention focused on Greece’s latest election, the results won’t alter the course of Europe’s widening debt crisis
Why Spain’s Big Bank Bailout Is Really a Big Bust
Spain’s banks received a pledge for a huge rescue package from the European Union over the weekend. But some experts believe the bailout may end up causing more pain for the Spanish government in the long run
You Say Tomato, I Say Bailout: How Spain Agreed to Be Rescued
Knowing how bailouts doomed the governments of other countries, Spain insists it has accepted a massive “loan” to recapitalize its banks. Others, however, are calling it as they see it.
Europe Crisis: “Bad Romance” on a Global Scale
If there were an official anthem for the European debt crisis, it would be Lady Gaga’s “Bad Romance,” and not just because the pop star croons a few lines in French and chants the name of a continental European capital. The …
Why the Euro Zone Could Unravel Shockingly Fast
Last week, I attended an informal seminar on the outlook for the euro given by the Foreign Policy Research Institute (FPRI). Two knowledgeable and thoughtful experts analyzed the current woes and historical flaws of the European …
Interest Rates So Low Even the Founding Fathers Would Gawk
We’ve been hearing that interest rates are “historically low” for some time now. But how historic are we talking? Even Thomas Jefferson would have been surprised to see the most respected debt issuer in the world paying just …
The Bleak Unemployment Report: Is Europe to Blame?
For the first time in almost a year, the unemployment rate rose to 8.2% in May as the economic recovery appeared to not only slow but almost completely stall. And it gets worse.
Why Everyone’s Trying to Measure Well-Being
It’s mid-afternoon, and I’m sharing a long lunch with a colleague at a sidewalk café in Paris. There’s a basket of fresh-baked bread on our table and a parade of well-dressed shoppers passing by. At the next table, three …
Euro Crisis: Is the Currency (Finally) Doomed?
Since the start of Europe’s debt crisis in 2009, there has been a steady drumbeat of predictions that the euro is doomed. The problems were too intractable, the debts too large, the political will too feeble. So far, the …
Which Advanced Economy Has the Most Debt?
With all the talk of Greece’s impending exit from the euro zone, debt is once again in the headlines. Greece’s massive public sector debt, coupled with its inability to devalue its currency, has put the country at risk of …