Greece

The contagion to Italy is a turning point in the euro zone crisis. I feel we have reached a point where the wrong decisions could mean disaster. However, I continue to hope that the Europeans will recognize how destructive the current…

Tolstoy tells us in the first line of Anna Karenina that "Happy families are all alike; every unhappy family is unhappy in its own way." This is directly applicable to Europe. It is easy to tar all (growing) peripheral countries with the…

The problem is if “markets become skittish about Spain or Italy, which cannot be bailed out. So EU leaders will cut Greece loose” and indeed, there is talk about doing just that – allowing Greece to default. The policy of extend and pretend…

As Michael Lewitt says, "the interconnected nature of global financial markets render Europe's problems the world's problems. There is no longer any periphery."

Now that Italian bonds are getting crushed and contagion is clearly spreading to the core, Greece will have to be cut loose.

The question is not whether Greece will default but what will happen once it has. If Greece defaults but stays in the euro, not only will it not solve the underlying lack of competitiveness, but markets will immediately turn their attention…

Most analysts agree that Greece is insolvent. This column argues that the issue is whether Greece’s troubles are contagious.

Last week the French (banks and government) proposed a roll-over of Greek debt into new bonds, some with maturities as long as 30 years. By Thursday German lenders, insurers and government agreed to join the plan, which would cover debts…

Dollar is broadly stronger amid concerns over Greek debt rating, China tightening; stocks mixed. S&P warns plan for Greece is likely default; ECB to accept collateral unless all agencies rule default. RBA on hold, Riksbank hikes by…

Evangelos Venizelos is dispatched to consider how to prevent the government from sacking tens of thousands of workers in order to prevent the Greek from defaulting on its debt. He suggests that California’s previous IOU issuance is a model…