Sweden’s economic blunder

From

Few developed economies rebounded as quickly as Sweden did from the global financial crisis. After contracting 5% in 2009, Sweden’s economy expanded 6.6% a year later, swelled another 2.9% in

continue reading

The latest threat to the euro?

From

Search around Europe and encouraging signs emerge amid the immense unemployment and political agitation. The eurozone economy expanded 0.3% in the three months to December, to mark three straight quarters

continue reading

EU elections are set to rattle Europe

From

Imagine if fringe political parties of the left and right were gaining sufficient support in different Australian states to win enough seats at a federal election to destabilise the House

continue reading

The Federal Reserve is many things

From

Ben Bernanke on January 28 and 29 presided over his last policy-setting meeting as chairman of the Federal Reserve, before leaving the central bank two days later. As expected, the

continue reading

Are developed economies facing “secular stagnation”?

From

Larry Summers, former economic adviser to the White House and Harvard professor, was Barack Obama’s first pick to be the new head of the Federal Reserve. Democrats blocked his ascension

continue reading

Bad debts hobble any European recovery

From

December 2013 In Europe, there’s a number that punctures immediate hopes for the region. It is the amount of bad debts that sit on eurozone bank balance sheets. Accounting firm

continue reading

Why the Fed’s QE is likely to end well

From

Stan Druckenmiller, a star US hedge-fund manager, slams the Federal Reserve for “running the most inappropriate monetary policy in history”. But what seems to scare investors more is the prospect

continue reading

China’s shrinking workforce has big repercussions

From

  The coming years will be favourable ones for Chinese workers seeking hefty pay rises. A big contraction in the labour force will help their bargaining position no end, as

continue reading

China: rising inequality poses a political and economic menace

From

China’s now-disgraced ex-politburo member Bo Xilai revealed one of China’s most sensitive pieces of information just before he was ousted from his leadership role last year. No, it wasn’t a

continue reading