austerity

The scale of the Italian challenge is far greater than Greece's as Italy's sovereign debt is bigger than Greece, Ireland, Spain and Portugal's put together. Greece has, prior to the coming haircuts, about 350 bln euros of debt. Italy has to…

Markets have shifted back to crisis mode amid uncertainty over Italian economic reforms. Three likely scenarios remain after Berlusconi’s upcoming departure; Italian 10-year above 7%. UK September trade data unexpectedly widened, on…

"If a country isn’t growing, it’s debt is growing as a result. So, any interest beyond, let's say 2.5%, is a problem. And with Italy's growth shrinking, as a result of the austerity measures they're putting in place, we're beyond it.…

European shares are rebounding after a two-day decline; dollar is mostly higher in G10. Italian politics remains front and center ahead of budget vote; UK outlook remains sluggish. With US calendar light, markets likely to focus on Fed…

Assuming that the Greek and Italian political situation stabilize, the focus may shift back to the Iberia. The risk is that the new Spanish government will report a larger budget deficit and weaker finances in general than the outgoing…

Now it's on to a Greek coalition government with the FinMin at the helm. Get ready for more austerity!!

I would say that Stiglitz is right that Iceland did well in large measure because Iceland was not subjected to the kind of austerity that you traditionally see in these kinds of programs and which is an anti-growth policy. We are seeing the…

This post describes how austerity works in the European Monetary System where the euro is used as a currency. I will start by framing the difference between currency users and currency creators, then move to how central banks and government…

Imposed austerity does directly alter output and employment- for the worse. Additionally, for all practical purposes, there is universal global support for austerity as the means supporting global output and employment. So even if the euro…

I had been willing to dismiss the rumours that Greece was forestalling a military coup. Others have since said the change in top brass is standard protocol for a Greek government preparing for its potential loss of power and that the…