This is an example using the USA’s figures, but it raises some interesting issues for every nation that is deeply in debt (like Ireland!)
Is Britain the Next Greece?
Economist Richard Wolff compares economic forecasting to palm reading, before predicting himself that Britain will be the next victim of the global recession, citing that the average British family currently faces a debt amounting to 170% of its annual income.
The full video is more about capitalism in its current brand, the fascinating thing is that Wolff is neither an Austrian nor a Keynesian, he isn’t freshwater or saltwater, he thinks that both Hoover and FDR didn’t find the right solution, that WW2 was the answer (albeit a terrible one). This is a video that is absolutely worth watching.
The full version is available on Fora (a site well worth bookmarking!)
The I.O.U.S. of A.
This is an interesting look at the deficit being run by the USA. Even with all of the hard work and good intentions in the world Obama will have his work cut out for him to remedy the situation.
Auction Rate Bond Market feels the pinch
There has been unforseen intervention by the US Fed in the American markets, however there is still a domino effect, today we saw that there was a problem with the Auction Rate Bond Market and it has culminated in an investigation by nine state regulators.
It was said in the past that the Auction Rate market was dead after Wall Street banks ceased to purchase their own unwanted bonds, Auction Rate Securities are not liquid and this has resulted in the above case which broke in the news today. Investors were lead to believe that the bonds were a ‘cash equivalent’ however they are not, and the regulator is pushing to over rule the bonds because if money was to be seen as cash going in it has to be treated as cash on the way out (i.e.: it can’t be tied into conditions).
Auction Rate Bonds allow issuers such as Governments, Hospitals and Municipalities to issue …