As Europe Slowly Recovers, the US Heads off the Cliff
What at a year for the European Union. Europe has now fought its way through the worst of its fiscal crisis, and the year ahead will end up being more about recovery than austerity. It may seem strange to hoist…
EU Budget Brawl Follows Its Failed Summit
Europe will get its multi-year budget passed–and that’s a “shave my moustache” prediction—in spite of the fact that the European Union failed to reach a budget agreement at a summit in Brussels last week. We do not know the timetable…
Has Britain Recovered or Simply Faked a Recovery?
Two recession strategies are competing ever more openly in Europe—two growth models and two economic philosophies that Americans should watch carefully. Just as the choice ahead could change the map of the European Union so could the election on November…
EU Crisis: Protect the Euro or Ensure Stability?
Most of us thought the crisis in Europe had to do with holding the euro together. It is not so simple after last week’s tumult—in Greece, in Portugal, in Spain, even in Germany. What is at issue now is not…
Europe Got the Buyout but Will It Get the Buy In?
The best that could be hoped for: That is the obvious way to look at the European Central Bank’s new plans to buy up the bonds of troubled members of the European Union. The markets loved the announcement last Thursday:…
As Merkel Goes, So Goes the European Union
The European Union is likely to take a step to finalize the Continent’s economic and financial recovery strategy. And make no mistake: We all have an interest in this phase of Europe’s protracted struggle to reshape itself. This Thursday, Mario…
Three Global Hotspots that Can Damage the Recovery
Wories to the west of us, worries to the east. It is hardly the kind of August to encourage us to head for the beach and try to get through Proust for the 16th time. There are signs we are…
Can Draghi Turn the EU Ship Around in Time?
What a roller coaster ride Europe has embarked upon. A week ago Mario Draghi, the president of the European Central Bank, made his now-famous “whatever it takes” remark in defense of the euro, and the markets bounded upward. Since then…
At Last, a Smart Life-Saving Plan for Europe
Whatever it takes” seems to have acquired a totemic meaning among the world’s central bankers. It has long been among the favored market-calming phrases uttered by Ben Bernanke, chairman of the U.S. Federal Reserve. Now Mario Draghi, head of the…
Europe’s Juggling Act: Cuts, Tax Hikes, Bailouts
On the face of it, last week did not look like a very good one for Europe—not if you think it is time to push growth as well as fiscal discipline. Just days after Spain announced a $79 billion package…
Recent Comments