Europe

Why is it that Jon Stewart, a comedian, has become the most able and trusted voice of investigative journalism into finance on television?  He spoke with the French Finance Minister Christine Lagarde, something I find remarkable given…

The Economist released its remarkably telling Big Mac Index this past weekend.  The index looks at the relative cost of Big Mac in various countries to gauge how over- or undervalued the currencies in those locales are.  Judging…

Central banks are not the only ones printing money to help get through this financial crisis.  Private citizens are increasingly turning to the printing press to help alleviate their financial problems as well.  My translation of…

This comes via der Standard, an Austrian daily.  My translation below: The international financial crisis has hit eastern Europe harder than previously expected, according to a press report. At least ten states are negotiating with…

This is my translation of an article from Dagens Nyheter, a Swedish daily. Swedish banks are planning to write down Latvian personal loans by 10 percent. However, the proposal includes only a small part of the Latvia’s mountain of debt.…

I happened upon an article about shops being closed in France that highlighted a larger issue about cultural attitudes in the U.S. and Europe regarding work, leisure and material wealth.  I would like to share some thoughts with you on…

Financial sector pro-cyclicality: Lessons from the crisis, Part II - vox On the back of the last article, here are some proposals on how to mitigate the pro-cyclical effects of compensation and leverage Financial sector…

The slum solution to housing crisis in Argentina "Without space to accommodate new housing in its intricate corridors and dirt roads, the shanty towns of Buenos Aires have grown upwards." TweetDeck Desktop…

The crucifixion of Latvia - Ambrose Evans-Pritchard, Telegraph"Contrary to revisionist talk, Argentina was not a basket case. Its imbalances were no worse than those of the Baltics, Balkans, Spain, or Greece, and arguably better. It ran…

I am not the only one who sees events in Latvia as a potential catalyst for further downside risk to the reflation trade.  Mary Stokes over at Nouriel Roubini’s site has a very readable post out on why we should be watching events in that…