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 …
Europe
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 …
Euro Crisis: Why a Greek Exit Could Be Much Worse than Expected
More than one kind of damaging domino effect is possible if Greece is forced to abandon the euro
Is a Greek Exit from the Euro Inevitable?
Is the Stock Market Wildly Overoptimistic?
Stocks appear to be flying too high in light of the enormous number of risks that the U.S. economy faces over the next 12 months.
European Voters Have Rejected Austerity—So What Happens Next?
Ballot Box Breakdown: How Europe’s Elections Will Heat Up the Debt Crisis
There have been many flaws in Europe’s strategy to resolve its ongoing debt crisis: The unreasonable obsession with austerity. The persistent reluctance to commit sufficient financial resources. The stubborn rejection of …
