A week ago it looked like the US government was destined to end up firmly – maybe even more firmly — in the hands of
Towards the end of a credit bubble, ideas that might have seemed crazy in more boring times are not just accepted but embraced by investors
One of the jarring things about visiting less-well-off countries is the seemingly inexhaustible supply of girls and boys available for anyone with hard currency. These
The most obvious difference between “rich” and “poor” countries is that the former provide health care for most or all of their lucky citizens. At
This series is based on the premise that debt works the same way for countries as it does for individuals and families: When you borrow
The dollar is tanking lately. From a high of around 100 in December, the dollar index — which measures USD against a basket of foreign
China’s historic post-2009 debt binge flew largely under the radar — fooling most observers into thinking the global economy was recovering rather than just re-leveraging.
So it seems that China’s economy, caught in the grip of a credit crisis just a few months ago, is all better. And so, by
It’s just about official: With corporate sales and profits shrinking and consumer spending flatlining, the US economy will grow hardly at all this year while
Talk about diminished expectations. This morning’s estimate of 1.4% Q4 GDP growth is being hailed as a pleasant surprise. Which is odd, considering that for
If easy money has stopped working, then what’s left? Massive deficits, of course. Pressure is building on governments around the world to increase spending and
Savers are the obvious victims of the past few years’ plunge in interest rates. But there are other casualties, including money market funds, which have
Another Monday, another set of “surprisingly” bad economic numbers. A few representative headlines: China manufacturing prices decline for 18th straight month Oil prices fall 5%
If 2015 was a year Brazil would like to forget, 2016 is doing its best to make that happen. But, alas, not in the way
Sometimes one big event dominates the landscape, like last week when the Fed raised interest rates. Other times a bunch of less-universally-significant-things add up to
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