Growth cannot solve all Economic Problems

Reading Roubini's view that Karl Marx may have made a valid point about Capitalism chimes with a neglected aspect of economic discourse (especially as practiced by commentators employed by financial service firms). Quite apart from the fact that from an environmental perspective growth - in the number of humans as well as in economic activity - has to end at some stage, even if not in the immediate future, the desperate clamor for growth at any cost is distracting from the fact that maybe the distribution of income and wealth may have a larger role to play in healing society's problems. What would a world of zero growth (at least in the industrial countries) look like? We would still generate a large amount of wealth year in year out. But maybe a shift in the relative pieces that different individuals take out of the given cake would make a more substantial contribution to increase the sum-total of human happiness than squeezing out an extra decimal point in GDP growth.

European Bond no panacea

The Eurocratic 'Elites' seem to think that the issuance of a Bond guaranteed by all member states of the Eurozone would be the magic bullet that solves the sovereign debt crisis in Euroland and saves the Eurozone from breaking up. This may well be the case - for a while. But as economic and fiscal problems get papered over for a few more years the underlying tensions will only increase while those responsible for policy at the moment will have started to enjoy their well-padded retirement at the expense of their hapless taxpayers. The crunchtime will come when one of the states that have pledged to guarantee those 'Euro-Bonds' will no longer be able (or willing) to suffer from the burden of debt service. WE have (unfortunately successfully) argued back in 2004 that to accept bond spreads on Italian bonds that are just a tiny amount above the yields offered by German Bunds is a highly risky investment strategy. We hope - but are not confident - that we do not turn out to have warned in vain again.

Financial Chaos without European transfer payments?

When even seasoned financial commentators that usually display a certain amount of independent thinking argue that financial chaos is certain if Germany (and other 'northern' Euroland member states) don't continue to subsidise countries such as Greece, Ireland and Portugal one knows that the last vestiges of rational economic thought and any sense of democratic governance and financial responsibility is on the way out. Letting Greece or any other country go bust would certainly create difficulties in the short-term but the humongous financial resources (including central bank money created ex nihilo) would be much better applied to paper over the cracks in the financial system. In the long run this would be cheaper for the 'North' and the 'South' would either learn the lesson of good housekeeping once and for all or continue to slide further down the slippery slope of relative (and maybe absolute) decline in living standards.

Euro Drama - self-inflicted pain thanks to lack of democracy

The Euro has no democratic legitimacy, it is a construct created by (mostly unelected) bureaucrats, with unintended consequences (they are always the ones that count in the end).
Government spending in most countries is on an upward trajectory since early 1970s, no end in sight, in every election, in every country and from every party/politician you only hear about new 'projects', 'laws' etc that mean more spending.
But government can never spend 100% of the whole GDP, a limit will be reached and we are near it. Sooner or later those paying the bills will realise that more money does not buy more happiness in a finite life, why not make do and withdraw some of one's services.
That governments cannot cut 5 or 10 percent of GDP from their fiscal programs is an indicator for the lack of courage, best to cut all spending by an equal percentage, quick and avoids endless bickering.
Recommendation: avoid all banks in weak member states of the Eurozone, even check that any Euro Notes are not issued by central banks of these countries. Remember that 100 British Pounds in 1951 are worth only £ 4 in purchasing power today. It is a bit better in 'hard' currency countries but even worse in other countries. Germany's Mark (Euro) lost nearly 80 per cent of its purchasing power in the same period.

Italy: Desperate Fiscal Proposals

The proposed introduction of a 0.15 per cent tax on financial transactions and a 35 per cent tax on profits from proprietary trading by the banks (let's hope there are profits!) will do nothing but further strangle the financial marketplace. In an environment where the overall economy stagnates for the better part of the past ten years this can not be seen as an intelligent measure. In addition, the definitions required to make the fiscal net reasonably workable (which transactions? which institutions? - if only banks will that not give a tremendous boost for the 'shadow banking system'?) will not be worked out all that easily. As always, the political kleptocracy's instinct is to rely more on tax increases rather than conduct a root-and-branch reform of misdirected spending policies.

Greek Debt Crisis: Lunatics at the controls - sauve qui peut!

The headline that another Euro 100 billion (!!) might be spent by (mainly unaccountable) politicians and (international) bureaucrats on behalf of the citizen-slaves staggers the mind. In terms that can be understood by the man on the street that means that an average family of three Greek citizens indirectly benefits from a windfall of nearly 30,000 Euro. We have watched with alarm as the political class all over the 'Western Democracies' has allocated an ever-increasing amount of the national wealth creation towards the pursuit of the pet projects that benefit their client lobbies. The spending for the Greek bailout reaches new peaks of irresponsibility and is a blatant attack on all honest and parsimonious savers and investors. Those readers not only interested in protecting their wealth from predatory politicians but also looking for ways to stop misgovernment in its tracks should look at supporting Dirdem as more direct democratic control of decision making offers the only hope of turning things around.

No Euro without fiscal union? - more muddled thinking by 'expert'

Another economics professor and former IMF economist, Harvard University's Ken Rogoff, adds his voice to the chorus of those who perpetuate the false thesis that only a closer (full?) fiscal (and therefore political) union of the EU member states can save the Euro. As we have explained in another post, this theory confounds the problems of individual states' reckless fiscal and economic policies with the problem of the global banking system.