Politics

When we look back five years from now, will we see this week as marking a turning point in the short, but far from uneventful, ten year history of Europe’s common currency? Certainly recent comments by the deputy governor of the People's…

The New York Observer has a wonderful interview with Jim Chanos out today. In it, he talks about probable fraud and criminality at Lehman. I want to use his comments as a lead-in to a wider discussion about fraud and criminality in…

If you’re really good at making a pigs ear of things, why not join the EU? Of course, this is not meant as a piece of solid advice, rather it is a cry of frustration at being impotently forced to watch so many things done so badly, each in…

FiveThirtyEight: A Closer Look At Inflation Bob Herbert – An Absence of Class in the G.O.P. – NYTimes.com Leveraged Buyout Revival Seen in Default Swaps: Credit Markets – Bloomberg.com Rio Tinto blocked from attending China trial…

I am highlighting this March 2010 post because it best represents my view on the structural changes needed in the euro-zone. I suggest setting up a pre-funded European Harmonisation Fund that can get fiscal policy harmonised and help to…

I recorded the video segment below on on RT America on Wednesday night (Notice my green tie for St. Patrick's Day!). The overall gist of the clip was that the currency battle now brewing between China and the U.S. is mostly a political…

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.…

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…

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…