European Union
Greece’s gross domestic product (GDP) in 2010 was only $304.87 billion. The proposed Greek “bailout” by the European Union includes about $180 billion in cash and a 50% cut in Greece’s debt. This is equal to more than one year’s GDP for Greece. It’s a huge bailout. It’s…
The country of Greece has produced some astounding mathematicians, scientists, philosophers, and other intellectuals in its long history, but managing finances does not appear to be a strong point for this country. After blowing through over $130 million in emergency funding, the country continues to struggle to pay…
Traders are concerned about the nuclear fallout in Japan, along with the conflict in Libya and North Africa; but, for whatever reason, the debt and growth issues in Europe appear to have been pushed to the backburner. In my view, this is dangerous. While there are issues with…
We are seeing some hesitation in the upward movement of stocks despite what has been a fairly decent earnings season early on. The problem I see is the influx of uncertainties in Europe that is making traders think hard about going long. While there are problems with jobs…
The majority of the news is on Ireland and the fear that the debt issues there could spread throughout Europe and further dampen growth there. But I have talked enough about Europe and will swing my focus to China—my favorite growth region for growth investors looking to increase…
Are we seeing signs of the perfect storm arising in the stock markets? Not only do we have growth issues in the United States, but Europe and Asia continue to pose issues. I’m not saying the good times are over, but, for now, the market risk is higher.…
Markets rallied last Thursday on the news of the potential remedy to the debt situation in Ireland that is expected to be announced sometime this week. While this will help remove some unwanted uncertainty from the market, I feel the remedy will merely mask a much more significant…
The economic situation is improving in the United States, although there continue to be some growth issues in big-ticket items and housing. The Consumer Confidence reading fell in July for the second straight month. June Durable Goods Orders fell one percent with economists expecting a one-percent increase. This…
— by Inya Ivkovic, MA For the most part, during the recent economic downturn, central bankers, economists, analysts and even politicians debated and worried about deflation. What kept most of them up at night, myself included, was an Economics 101 teaching that falling prices prevent the economy from…
