Political Economy

Here’s how I see things playing out: Congress looks at this report and concurs that the key to ending slower global growth is to correct global imbalances via a Chinese currency revaluation. Fair enough. However, individual…

In late 2007 the global economy began to stumble, slipping into the abyss of a deep recession and financial panic. We are only now recovering from this stumble, in large part due to an unprecedented level of fiscal and monetary stimulus.…

News reports are now surfacing that the Germans are open to IMF involvement in the Greece sovereign debt crisis.  This is a 180-degree turn for the German finance minister who has expressed vocal opposition to the IMF’s involvement in…

I am going to talk here a little bit about the looming trade war between China and the United States. But I am going to come at it from a side angle via some historical analogies. Common folklore in the United States says that the Soviet…

With US midterm elections up ahead, we are already seeing political posturing by US politicians regarding China’s currency.  Democratic lawmakers are reportedly drawing up legislation that sets criteria on whether a country has a…

It’s curious how one and the same message is emanating from both Beijing and Berlin at the moment: “don’t blame us, it’s not our fault”. And it isn’t. According to the Financial Times, the Chinese Authorities spent their morning pushing…

Gallup shows President Obama’s approval rating tied for a low of 48% in the most recent polling. But if you look at the data split by party, it’s like we’re living in three separate worlds. Obama’s personal numbers have fallen…

The Financial Times has caught wind of a letter sent by U.S. Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner to to the EU’s Michel Barnier. In only thinly-veiled language Mr. Geithner accused the EU of financial protectionism for the way Brussels…

August 2009 was the high point of American’s satisfaction with the economy during Barack Obama’s tenure. Interestingly, this meshes with the data on the ground. In a recent interview, Simoleon Sense quoted James Montier as saying that…

I almost have to laugh at this. But, a proposal is afoot to require all employed persons in America submit biometric data as a control against illegal immigrants. This is part of an Immigration Bill now wending its way though the Senate.…