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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. Yet, no sooner is daylight within reach, we start attacking each other, tearing each [...]

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Highlights
The US dollar is firmer against most major currencies. The euro, together with the Swiss franc and Swedish krona are the worst performers.  The euro failed to make a clear break above $1.38 yesterday and news reports suggesting Germany may have shifted its stance on Greece seeking IMF aid saw the euro slip back to [...]

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News reports are now surfacing that the Germans are open to IMF involvement in the Greece sovereign debt crisis.  This is a 180-degree turn for the German finance minister who has expressed vocal opposition to the IMF’s involvement in ‘internal’ European Union affairs.
Bloomberg reports Germany making the shift to avoid being boxed in by a [...]

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It’s curious how one and the same message is emanating from both Beijing and Berlin at the moment: “don’t blame us, it’s not our fault”. And it isn’t.
According to the Financial Times, the Chinese Authorities spent their morning pushing back against the mounting US criticism of their currency policy, arguing that their huge trade surplus [...]

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Well, I for one can’t help thinking that it’s now well time we all stopped getting carried away with the use of so many acronyms. Not only may one man’s meat easily prove to be another’s poison, it may even be that for some the entire meal will be so distasteful as to prove totally [...]

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I hadn’t seen an advance release of the January German export data, when I wrote the following on Tuesday, honest injun I hadn’t:
Well, this is only a hypothesis. But if the hypothesis has any validity we should be able to make some predictions on the basis of it. I would make two. Firstly, since East [...]

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According to Bundesbank President Axel Weber, Germany’s economic recovery is “essentially intact”, and is now set to benefit from stronger demand in countries outside the euro region.
“I firmly believe that the recovery process that began in summer 2009 is essentially intact, and that it will continue despite the slower growth dynamic in the winter semester. [...]

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European politicians have revealed that a European Monetary Fund is already in the planning phase. The reports suggest that this fund may be the mechanism through which the Eurozone will defend the sovereign debt of members and impose austerity conditions where necessary. The Europeans have – for political reasons – stressed that this fund will [...]

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One of the more surprising announcements of support for a bailout of Greece comes from none other than Theodor Waigel, the former German Finance Minister who invented the Stability and Growth Pact. While Greece was able to successfully roll over debt today, there still will come a time when they may need financial support. This [...]

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Things are getting heated in the Greek sovereign debt crisis – with the main battle lines being drawn between Greece and Germany. There are a lot of stories in the German press about Greek profligacy and cheating (see German-language links below video). Then there are the stories about Greek boycotts of German products and the [...]