People quickly like to write off the United States as a “less attractive” and “old growth – mature” market. And, for the past couple of years the country has been likened to some of the sovereign debt strapped countries in Europe (mistakenly). But think about an assessment made just recently about the change in stock [...]
There is not all that much good news in Greece these days but at least they are not the lead story in Europe’s financial press for the first time in what seems like months. That dubious distinction belongs to the Spanish these days and this time the worry expressed is a little easier to understand. [...]
The decision to put Jim Yong Kim in charge of the World Bank will likely go down as one of the best decisions made by the Obama White House or one of the worst. It is very unlikely that there will be any middle ground on this one at all. Nobody really has an unkind [...]
For several decades the pattern was the same. Japanese companies invested in the Chinese economy directly and indirectly. The flow of foreign direct investment was clearly one way and it was pointed at China. Now the flow is pointed in both directions. In the last few years many of the Japanese manufacturing companies have fallen [...]
The rate of inflation has risen in the UK and that has many concerned that the Bank of England will take this as a sign that they really do not need to take steps to bolster the economy right at the moment. The inflation spurt is partly the result of the hike in commodities pricing [...]
Add the Reserve Bank of India to the long list of central banks that have been engaging in stimulation while complaining about the fact that this has been left up to them. The central bank authorities are well aware that inflation is an issue in India and they are not altogether comfortable with the decision [...]
One of the next big thresholds that analysts will be watching this week is the 10 year and 2 year bond auctions in Spain on Thursday. Recent debt yields have been close to 6%, a significant long-term cost burden for financing debt for the country. Spain slipped into recession in the latest GDP report and [...]
China will release its most recent GDP report tomorrow (actually tonight at about 9:00 CST). Many analysts will be looking at the report for either signs of weakness or signs of strength – the bottom line being they’ll move on either appropriately. Analysts have put an expectation in place for about an 8% GDP track [...]
The Associated Press has done a phenomenal job of rounding up some highlights from companies that were impacted deeply by the flooding in Thailand. We have been harping on this impact for months and believed that many analysts had forgotten about the impact or were underestimating the impact on corporate earnings. For every one of [...]
Although she sees some bright spots, Ms. Lagarde said that the European economy still has to fully “turn the corner”. “Economic risks remain high and the current situation is fragile, International Monetary Fund Chief Christine Lagarde” said in a speech given on Thursday at the Brookings Institute. She mentioned risks throughout the Eurozone – despite [...]
