Foreign Policy Blogs

Global Markets

Western Debt Crises Raise Concerns Over Character of Global Leadership

Western Debt Crises Raise Concerns Over Character of Global Leadership

The debt and deficit crises driving a 2000 point decline in US Markets over the last two weeks and a credit downgrade lies at the heart of the Western financial and political system goes way beyond the debt & deficit woes currently gripping the Western world; it strikes at the very heart of the way […]

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Republicans Seek to Force Default on US Debt

Republicans Seek to Force Default on US Debt

In the Republican-controlled House of Representatives, an idea once confined to the conservative ‘wingnut’ fringe of the Republican party has morphed into the party’s mainstream – the belief that intentionally allowing a Federal default on paying the National debt might be an acceptable price to pay to make a political point by forcing the Obama administration to assume ownership of a fiscal mess created by the previous Republican president.

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Road to Deauville G-8: What's on the agenda?

Road to Deauville G-8: What's on the agenda?

THE ROAD TO DEAUVILLE, FRANCE 2011 G-8 SUMMIT: President Barack Obama arrives in Europe today beginning a six-day trip that seeks more resources to promote and support the pro-democracy movements in the Middle East’s Arab Spring, a trip to Ireland, an address before the British Parliament to “re-set’ US-European relations, and a G-* Summit in Deaville, Fr to discuss integrating Suub-Saharran Africa into the Global economic framework.

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DSK Forces Emerging Markets Fracas at IMF

DSK Forces Emerging Markets Fracas at IMF

  A power shift at the International Monetary Fund (IMF) in favor of Emerging Market nations has now set the stage for a fierce international battle over who should succeed Dominique Strauss-Kahn (DSK) as he battles well-publicized allegations of sexual assault in New York. The outcome of this struggle and may threaten the ‘gentlemen’s agreement’ […]

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US Court: Rating Agencies May Continue to Mislead

US Court: Rating Agencies May Continue to Mislead

US Court rules the three major credit rating agencies may continue to lie, mislead & cheat investors by assigning false ratings, and helping investment firms to structure transactions that gain ‘AAA’ status. The rating agencies ‘opinions’ are protected under First Amendment protections as free speech. This ruling is a set-back to individual investors & ordinary working Americans everywhere.

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Third US-China Strategic & Economic Dialogue Underway

Third US-China Strategic & Economic Dialogue Underway

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and US Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner play host this week to the third round of a newly formed bi-lateral talks between the US and China. This is the first time the so-called US-China Strategic and Economic Dialogue (SE&D) is being held in the US. The purpose of the talks, Geithner said in his opening comments on Monday, is to look for opportunities to build closer economic ties between the World’s two leading economic powers.

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OBL Is Dead, Focus On Fixing The Economy

After initial excitement, this moment of unity in the capture & killing of Osama bin Ladin registered as a momentary blip in Global Markets as investors worry about the immediate risk of a terrorist backlash and, more generally, the malaise of the US economy. Yet bin Laden’s death has the potential to become a focal point for the country, and for President Barack Obama in particular, if the spirit of unity & partisan cooperation can be translated into broad-based, bipartisan progress on economic issues such as re-employment, infrastructure investments, increased corporate spending of their HUGE profit margins, decreasing the Federal deficit & the National Debt levels that are central to the long-term economic health & prosperity of the nation, and the world.

Unemployment remains stubbornly high.

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World Markets Dump Greenbacks, Buy Gold

World Markets Dump Greenbacks, Buy Gold

The Greenback has lost nearly 15% of its value against foreign currencies since the precipitation of the global financial crisis in 2008, and almost 5% since the end of last year. As a result, in 2010, Central Banks around the World became net buyers of Gold reserves for the first time in two decades, adding 87 metric tons of gold in government purchases by countries such as Saudi Arabia, Brazil, Cuba, South Korea, Bolivia, India, Russia and Nigeria, according to World Gold Council data. Interestingly, OPEC which denominates its oil reserves in US Dollars, has recently floated the notion of ditching the Greenback in favor of either the Euro or Gold as an alternative reserve denomination. China, with more than $3 Trn in foreign currency reserves, plans to set up new sovereign funds to invest in precious metals. Russia alone bought 8 tons of gold in 1st Q 2011. As developing countries accelerate purchases, gold may reach $2,000 per ounce this year,

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IMF: China to Outperform US Economy by 2016

IMF: China to Outperform US Economy by 2016

A new study by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) forecasts that the so-called “Age of America” will end in 2016, stating, ‘we are witnessing the end of American economic hegemony in the World.’

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Africa Welcome China's 'Solidarity' Investments

Africa Welcome China's 'Solidarity' Investments

China has made significant sacrifices in trying to help African countries lift themselves out of poverty, including the deaths of more than 700 Chinese workers in aid projects, Vice Commerce Minister Fu Ziying told reporters. He said accusations that Beijing’s foreign aid to Africa was targeted at securing resources were “nonsense.” Fu was briefing the press on a report on China’s foreign aid released last week by the State Council Information Office. The report, the first of its kind, said China’s budgeted foreign aid swelled nearly 30% a year since 2004 and totaled 256.2 billion Yuan ($39.2 Bn USD) from 1950 through 2009.

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S&P Downgrades US Sovereign Debt

S&P Downgrades US Sovereign Debt

Standard & Poor’s (S&P), one of the big three global ratings agency, on Monday followed the data, too, by downgrading its credit outlook from ‘stable,’ to ‘negative’ for United States sovereign debt – better known as US Treasury notes. The decision by S&P’s sovereign debt analyst, Nicola Swann – known cynically by some traders as the new ‘Black Swann’ – to downgrade US sovereign debt outlook roiled Global Markets, underscoring the growing view that America is a superpower in decline.

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BRICS Challenge Western Economic Hegemony

BRICS Challenge Western Economic Hegemony

The emergence of Brazil, Russia, India, China, and now South Africa to compose the so-called BRICS Summit met in Hainan, China (Apr 14-15, 2011) to discuss global economics, trade cooperation and developments in Japan and Libya. The emergence of this economic bloc could become an alternative voice on the world stage to Western dominated world finance and politics.

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The US Economy: 'We Are Losing Our Way'

The US Economy: 'We Are Losing Our Way'

The U.S. has not just misplaced its priorities. When the most powerful country ever to inhabit the earth finds it so easy to plunge into the horror of warfare but almost impossible to find adequate work for its people or to properly educate its young, it has lost its way entirely. Nearly 14 million Americans are jobless and the outlook for many of them is grim.

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Markets Muted On Military Action in Libya

Markets Muted On Military Action in Libya

President Obama did what should always be done: namely, he used the sanction of International law by seeking a UN resolution to enforce a No-Fly Zone. By building MULTI-lateral support with all the stakeholders

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The Emergence of 'Bamboo Capitalism'

Continuing coverage on the Rise of State-sponsored Capitalism” href=”http://globaleconomy.foreignpolicyblogs.com/2009/05/09/the-rise-of-state-sponsored-capitalism/” target=”_blank”>I’ve written about frequently here in my Global Markets blog — namely the Chinese state’s spin on capitalism. Though there were many critics early on — and still are in many quarters — who argued that China’s state-managed version of capitalism was unsustainable, it seems the long-term sustainability of so-called ‘State Capitalism‘ has been proven, and is even gathering steam in unlikely places — India, Cuba, Vietnam and the Middle-East to name a few — with great success. It’s a trend that Western financial centers should be attuned to, nor should it be dismissed as the global financial architecture continues to evolve following the global financial crisis.

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