...many governments into default. As recovery from the global financial crisis begins, but the global recession endures, some point to the threat of a second wave of the crisis: sovereign debt crises. Greece is currently facing a classic sovereign debt crisis. Greece accumulated high levels of debt during the decade before the crisis, when capital markets were highly liquid. As the crisis has unfolded, and capital markets have become more illiquid, Greece may no longer be able to roll over its maturing debt obligations. Some analysts have discussed the possibility of a Greek default. To avoid such a default, however, the Greek government has introduced a variety of austerity measures and, on April 23, 2010, formally requested financial assistance from the other 15 European Union (EU) member states that use the euro as their national currency (the Euro zone) and the International Monetary Fund (IMF).Greece’s debt crisis has raised a host of questions about the merits of the euro and the prospects for future European integration, with some calling for more integration and others less. Some have also pointed to possible problems associated with a common monetary policy but diverse national fiscal policies. This report provides an overview of the crisis; outlines the major causes of the crisis, focusing on both domestic and international factors; examines how Greece, the Eurozone members, and the IMF have responded to the crisis; and highlights the broader implications of Greece’s debt...
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...| The Eurozone Crisis | | | ECON 3860Word Count: 1,495 | | The Eurozone Crisis The Eurozone is a combined group of countries using the euro as their only currency. It was created in 1999 and currently consists of 17 countries – not all part of the European Union (Investor Words). Within the Eurozone, the countries follow a monetary policy and controlled by the European Central Bank (in other words, the ECB controlled the supply of the euro within the 17 countries). In an attempt to control government debt levels and deficit spending the Maastricht Treaty was created. As years passed, some countries government deficit began to rise and increased debt levels. By 2010, Greece (3% of the Eurozone) had public debt around 100% of their GDP. In order to lower their debt levels, the Greek government had increased their taxes and their borrowing levels. Solutions for fixing this issue consisted of stronger countries paying off the Greek debt – however not everyone agreed to such methods. Eventually, the value of the euro went down in the exchange markets and other Eurozone countries such as: Portugal, Italy, Ireland and Spain faced the same problem as Greece. The International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the European Financial Stability Facility (EFSF) donated money to help reduce the amount of debt – however not enough (Krugman, Obstfeld, Melitz, 2011). Since the Eurozone is controlled by monetary rules and does not consist of fiscal union (government collection of tax’s)...
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...Greece Should Not Exit The Euro Zone In recent years, there has been an ongoing debate over whether Greece should exit the Eurozone or not. The reasons are the seemingly current inability of Greece to compete within the euro currency, its tremendously high amounts of government debt which is on the verge of default, the inability to pull through with the anticipated austerity measures and the acceleration of the downward spiral of the Greek economy. Up to now, a so-called Grexit has not taken place due to repeated bailouts by the EU, represented by the European Financial Stability Facility (EFSF) and the European Central Bank (ECB) as well as the International Monetary Fund (IMF). The debate whether a Grexit should happen in the future is one of importance, as it would not only have many implications on the country itself, but also on the remaining countries in the EU and on the global economy. Many of these implications would affect Greece as well as a majority of other countries negatively and thus the Grexit should be one to prevent. The key points in this context are that firstly, that Greece would suffer greatly from the reintroduction of the drachma due to an immense depreciation and resulting decreasing value of the currency, which would lead to business closures and essentially an increase in poverty. Secondly, the global economy would be affected negatively by a Grexit due to a potential global credit crunch as well as the debt default. Thirdly, there are still measures...
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...| The Eurozone Crisis | | | ECON 3860Word Count: 1,495 | | The Eurozone Crisis The Eurozone is a combined group of countries using the euro as their only currency. It was created in 1999 and currently consists of 17 countries – not all part of the European Union (Investor Words). Within the Eurozone, the countries follow a monetary policy and controlled by the European Central Bank (in other words, the ECB controlled the supply of the euro within the 17 countries). In an attempt to control government debt levels and deficit spending the Maastricht Treaty was created. As years passed, some countries government deficit began to rise and increased debt levels. By 2010, Greece (3% of the Eurozone) had public debt around 100% of their GDP. In order to lower their debt levels, the Greek government had increased their taxes and their borrowing levels. Solutions for fixing this issue consisted of stronger countries paying off the Greek debt – however not everyone agreed to such methods. Eventually, the value of the euro went down in the exchange markets and other Eurozone countries such as: Portugal, Italy, Ireland and Spain faced the same problem as Greece. The International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the European Financial Stability Facility (EFSF) donated money to help reduce the amount of debt – however not enough (Krugman, Obstfeld, Melitz, 2011). Since the Eurozone is controlled by monetary rules and does not consist of fiscal union (government collection of tax’s)...
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...While other countries fell into the global recession, Australia maintained strong economic growth, low government debt and a triple-A credit rating. With this record, you might expect the federal election to be focused on how to convert the strength of today's economy into resilience for the future. But instead the political spotlight has fallen on the perceived problem of government debt, with alarming proposals to bring austerity ''down under''. For an American, Australia's anxiety about deficit and debt is a little amusing. Australia's budget deficit is less than half that of the US and its net debt is less than an eighth of the country's gross domestic product. Most countries would envy Australia's economy. During the global recession, Kevin Rudd's government implemented one of the strongest Keynesian stimulus packages in the world. That package was delivered early, with cash grants that could be spent quickly followed by longer-term investments that buoyed confidence and activity over time. In many other countries, stimulus was too small and arrived too late, after jobs and confidence were already lost. Advertisement In Australia the stimulus helped avoid a recession and saved up to 200,000 jobs. And new research shows that stimulus may have also actually reduced government debt over time. Evidence from the crisis suggests that, when the economy is weak, the long-run tax revenue benefits of keeping businesses afloat and people in work can be greater than the short-run...
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...of different opinions concerning Greece and Europe future. A debate opposes now the people who welcome this changes without skepticism and the others. The New York Times that is an American newspapers, talk about this political event using pictures and an explicit title that demonstrate the actual position of the Greece. Liberation that is a french radical newspaper, also uses a title that indicates its and a picture. Both articles treat overall the same subject, the victory of Syria and the fact that it is a real milestone for the Greece and Europe. Indeed, the New York Times used a Tsipras quotation saying «our shared future in Europe is not the future of austerity« (2015). The Duflot article title in Liberation newspaper use a fragment of her speech that also referencing that. They both using pictures and quotations to explain what they say. Nevertheless, they do not have the same focusing and the way of demonstrating it. Each articles do not mention exactly the same things and the way to say its, they have different point of view. Indeed, Duflot sentences focus on the succeed of the party that is going to be the motor of global political change and the defeat of austerity policy. Whereas, The new York Times is more global and explicative on its focusing. Its article speaks about the vote results, the opinions of people from others countries, A.Tsipras promises and his expectation of renegotiate the debt. What is more unlike Duflot speech that is small with strong words because...
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...------------------------------------------------- Policy Paper, spring 2012 ------------------------------------------------- Is a Greek exit from the European Union inevitable? 0909512 Table of Contents Pg. List of Illustrations 3 Executive Summary 4 1.0 Introduction 5 2.0 The Economic Cost and Benefit for State Membership of the EMU 5 2.1 Benefits of EMU Membership & Mechanisms 5 2.2 Costs of EMU Membership 7 3.0 Contextual Factors: The Profusion of Dept 10 3.1 The Eurozone Crisis 10 3.3 Greece- The Forefront of the Euro Area Crisis 13 4.0 Alternate Policies and the Effective Consequences 15 4.1 Predicament 15 4.2 Abetting Dependent on Austerity 16 4.3 Creditor-Led Default 17 4.4 Debtor-led Default and Greek Haircuts 19 4.5 Greek Exit 20 5.0 Recommendation 21 Appendices: Appendix 1: Preferential liberalization References List of Illustrations Pg. Illustration 1: The cost of EMU- Diminishing Domestic Flexibility to Asymmetric Macro Shocks 7 Illustration 2: Cost and benefit of Monetary Unions 9 Illustration 3: Evolution of Nominal Unit Labor Costs in the Eurozone Pre to the US Credit Crunch 9 Illustration 4: Current Account Balances in Percentage GDP 10 Illustration 5: Core Bank Exposure to the Weaker Eurozone Member States 12 Illustration 5: Holders of Greek Government Bonds and Dept (in...
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...International Monetary Systems and Foreign Exchange Market Global/regional Trading Systems (WTO, EU, NAFTA, ASEAN,...) Importance of International Marketing • • • • World trade has risen from $2 trillion to $18 trillion in last three decades. International trade grows twice as fast as domestic trade. Global marketing is a “must” for firms to achieve sustained growth. Marketing success will be defined on a global scale. Domestic and International Trade Growth Percentage of Growth 12% 10% 8% 6% 4% 2% 0% Year International Trade Domestic Trade Financial Statistics Yearbook Source: International 2011, International Monetary Fund, Washington D. C. Uniqueness of International Marketing More markets Complex and unfamiliar environments Greater risk (political, foreign exchange, economic risks) Greater resource commitment required Great potential for profits and growth New skills are required to succeed cross-cultural competency financial, legal, and human resources knowledge marketing skills Quiz A Which of...
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...the euro-zone crisis – causes, the crisis and reformation policies (with special reference to greece) the euro-zone ‘The Eurozone’ is the nickname commonly used to describe the member states that use the EU’s single currency, the Euro. The idea of creating a single currency for the European Community was first mentioned in the 1970 Werner report, which led to the establishing of the European Monetary System (EMS), the forerunner of the Economic and Monetary Union (EMU). The Maastricht Treaty (1992) made EMU a part of EU law and set out a plan to introduce the single currency (the Euro) by 1999. The Maastricht Treaty also established certain budgetary and monetary rules for countries wishing to join the EMU (known as the convergence criteria). In 1998, 11 member states (Germany, France, Italy, Belgium, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Spain, Portugal, Ireland, Austria and Finland) undertook the final stage of EMU when they adopted a single exchange rate, which was set by the European Central Bank (Britain, Sweden and Denmark negotiated an opt-out from this final states of EMU). The new Euro notes and coins were launched on 1 January 2002. There are currently 16 EU states in the Eurozone. Greece joined the initial 11 members in 2001, Slovenia joined in 2007, Cyprus and Malta in 2008, and Slovakia joined in 2009. Estonia is due to join the Eurozone in 2011. All future members of the EU must adopt the Euro when they fulfil the convergence criteria. Economic and Monetary Union...
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...international travels to participate in or comment on our national politics and economy. But I occasionally follow events at home. Since the survival and prosperity of Nigeria are at stake, the least some of us (albeit, non-partisan) must do is to engage in public debate. As the elections approach, I owe a duty to share some of my concerns. In September 2010, I wrote a piece entitled “2011 Elections: Let the Real Debate Begin” and published by Thisday. I understand the Federal Executive Council discussed it, and the Minister of Information rained personal attacks on me during the press briefing. I noted more than six newspaper editorials in support of the issues we raised. Beside other issues we raised, our main thesis was that the macro economy was dangerously adrift, with little self-insurance mechanisms (and a prediction that if oil prices fell below $40, many state governments would not be able to pay salaries). I gave a subtle hint at easy money and exchange rate depreciations because I did not want to panic the market with a strong statement. Sadly, on the eve of the next elections, literally everything we hinted at has happened. Part of my motivation for this article is that five years after, the real debate is still not...
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...An analysis of the key macro and micro economics factors which impact on the current UK housing market Introduction This paper explores the current situation in the UK housing market. Fundamentally, the paper argues that the current situation in the housing market is a legacy of the way in which the housing market developed over the early 2000s into the 2007 and 2008 financial crisis. As the fall out from this crisis has taken two or three years to properly be felt it can currently be said to be exerting a major influence on the way the housing market in the UK is working today. The paper therefore places a major focus on developing an understanding of how the financial crisis occurred and the impact that this had on the UK housing market, in order to understand the key factors which are shaping the housing market today. The paper begins with a look at the state of the UK economy at the moment. This is only examined in brief but provides a key background to the work. This is then followed by a look at the UK economy and the housing market and how the two link together. The following section is the major section of the work as this focuses on the macroeconomic factors which have shaped the housing market. This section in particular focuses on the legacy of the housing market developments of the early 2000s. The following section briefly explores the microeconomic elements which have shaped the housing market – the major emphasis here is on the role of buy to let mortgages as a...
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...that had destroyed the country’s economy, brought down its governing body, unleashed increasing unrest in the populace and greatly endangered the future of the euro. Greece’s debt issues can be traced back to years of spending that the government did not recuperate in taxes. Greece was borrowing from banks worldwide and had no way of repaying the billions of dollars owed. One might even trace the issues further back to 2001 when Greece joined the euro zone. The policy-makers misreported the real level of public borrowing so that Greece could meet the euro zone’s entry guidelines. As a result, the euro offered significantly lower interest rates than the drachma, Greece’s previous currency, and the country was able to access capital at a much more favourable rate. This deception brought about an increase in the money supply to Greece and...
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...Question 1 Export-oriented countries such as Singapore face substantial economic risks from the Eurozone crisis. Discuss your views on the above statement.[10 marks] Eurozone - Since early 2010, the Eurozone has been going through a tedious debate over the resolving of its homegrown crisis, now the “euro zone crisis”. Started from Greece followed by Ireland, Portugal, Spain and then Italy, these Eurozone economies went through a downgrade of their sovereign debt rating, stress of default and a drastic rise in borrowing cost. Fellow Eurozone economies and the future of Euro have been threatened by these developments. Forced to do what it takes, the Eurozone economic disaster is unlikely to return to business as usual soon on its own. (Timeline, 2012) Gross Domestic Product - The Gross Domestic Product (GDP) is the total value of final goods and services produced in the market, in a fixed duration within a country. It is calculated based on total consumption expenditure, government spending, and domestic investment, adding the value of exports, subtracting the value of imports. The GDP is a coincident indicator. An increase or decrease in the GDP is a strong indicator of a country’s economic health. Based on the above, countries heavily dependent on export demand from Europe would face a sharp drop in their value of exports, for example, Singapore, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Korea and Malaysia. Mathematically, a decline in total export value leads a drop...
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...century? There are plenty of potential candidates, from the remaking of finance in the wake of the crash of 2008 to the explosion of sovereign debt. But the list will almost certainly be topped by the dramatic shift in global economic heft. Ten years ago rich countries dominated the world economy, contributing around two-thirds of global GDP after allowing for differences in purchasing power. Since then that share has fallen to just over half. In another decade it could be down to 40%. The bulk of global output will be produced in the emerging world. The pace of the shift testifies to these countries’ success. Thanks to globalisation and good policies, virtually all developing countries are catching up with their richer peers. In 2002-08 more than 85% of developing economies grew faster than America’s, compared with less than a third between 1960 and 2000, and virtually none in the century before that. This “rise of the rest” is a remarkable achievement, bringing with it unprecedented improvements in living standards for the majority of people on the planet. But there is another, less happy, explanation for the rapid shift in the global centre of economic gravity: the lack of growth in the big rich economies of America, western Europe and Japan. That will be the focus of this special report. The next few years could be defined as much by the stagnation of the West as by the emergence of the rest, for three main reasons. The first is the sheer scale of the recession of...
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...issue of a journal or multiple copies of articles, and you may use content in the JSTOR archive only for your personal, non-commercial use. Please contact the publisher regarding any further use of this work. Publisher contact information may be obtained at . http://www.jstor.org/action/showPublisher?publisherCode=sageltd. . Each copy of any part of a JSTOR transmission must contain the same copyright notice that appears on the screen or printed page of such transmission. JSTOR is a not-for-profit service that helps scholars, researchers, and students discover, use, and build upon a wide range of content in a trusted digital archive. We use information technology and tools to increase productivity and facilitate new forms of scholarship. For more information about JSTOR, please contact support@jstor.org. Sage Publications, Ltd. is collaborating with JSTOR to digitize, preserve and extend access to Journal of Contemporary History. http://www.jstor.org Journalof Contemporary London,Thousand Oaks, CA and HistoryCopyright? 2004 SAGEPublications, New Delhi, Vol 39(3), 373-401. ISSN0022-0094. DOI: 10.1177/0022009404044446 Trentmann Frank Beyond Consumerism: New Historical Perspectives on Consumption If there is one agreement between theorists of modernity and those of...
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