Economic Overviews

It’s incredible that the Mayans forecast 2012 would be the end of a major era. It looks, today, like we are standing on the eve of massive changes in the world that will have consequences for a long, long time to come. The scene is already set....the euro will collapse, and...other major currencies will collapse. The consequences of these (eventual) collapses will be horrible because we will have a hyperinflationary depression.

The Citigroup economics team...made some noise late last week when they wrote that Greece would exit the euro on January 1, 2013 [and,] despite the results of this weekend's Greek elections which favors bailouts, austerity, and the euro, Citigroup continues to believe Greece is likely to exit the euro. Here's why. Words: 950

How does Greece — an economic basketcase — compare to Germany — an economic powerhouse? The infographic below answers that question. Take a look.

...The US Government and its catastrophic fiscal morass are now viewed by the world as a ‘safe haven’. This would easily qualify for a comedy shtick if it weren’t so serious....[but] the establishment is thrilled with these developments because it helps maintain the status quo of the dollar standard era. However, there are some serious ramifications that few are paying attention to and are getting almost zero coverage from traditional media. [Let me explain what they are.] Words: 1150

With 10 year Treasuries yielding 1.6% in the United States, some argue that higher deficits are warranted. As the discussion below shows, the logic behind that view is fundamentally flawed, if not reckless. Words: 1238

The U.S. economic recovery has been weak and the looming fiscal cliff threatens to act as a further drag on the economy. Europe is imploding with the chances of a 'Grexit' increasing, and Spain's economy deteriorating and risking contagion. David Rosenberg looks at the state of the U.S. and global economy via 51 depressing charts.

Dark...financial and economic clouds are, it seems, rolling in from every direction: the eurozone, the United States, China, and elsewhere. Indeed, the global economy in 2013 could be a very difficult environment in which to find shelter.

Jim Sinclair is now warning... that ‘The end is not near, it is here and now’ in reference to the global financial system...[and] reiterating his long held view that there will be “QE to infinity” despite the denials of Bernanke and other central bankers. [He also has some interesting things to say about gold and alarming things to say about the euro. Read on.] Words: 305

"Either you take the debt clean-out right away, and that means a very hard deflationary depression, or you do what I suspect they will try to do and that is keep pumping money into the system to keep the whole banking (system), derivatives and economies afloat [and] that will lead to some sort of monetary distress that could end in hyperinflation. I think that’s the worst outcome, but there is no good outcome.”

Follow the eurozone crisis as it unfolds with this quick guide to key dates, developments, and investment implications.