Canada has the lowest total debt-to-GDP ratio of the world’s 10 largest economies (Australia is 2nd best, Germany 3rd and the U.S 4th) while the U.K. and Japan are 9th and 10th but when such debt is broken down by sectors the findings are quite different. Let’s take a look. Words: 800
The debt ceiling must be raised and not be held hostage by budget negotiations… [If Washington does not] bond and currency vigilantes will make them pay. [Let me count the ways.] Words: 603
Our empirical research ( Growth in a Time of Debt) on the history of financial crises and the relationship between growth and public liabilities shows that burdens above 90% are associated with 1% lower median growth – and the United States’ debt level is currently hovering around 90% on a gross basis and 60% netting out assets. Politicians like to argue that their country will expand its way out of debt but our historical research suggests that growth alone is rarely enough to achieve that…[given] the debt levels we are experiencing today…[As such,] we need to be cautious about surrendering to the “this-time-is-different” syndrome and decreeing that surging government debt isn’t as significant a problem in the present as it was in the past. [Let us explain why.] Words: 1175
The economy can’t be fixed…the old regime of general economic stability and rising standards of living fueled by excessive credit are a thing of the past… The sooner we can accept that idea and make other plans the better… [Let me explain.] Words: 1898
The U.S. Federal government deficit for fiscal year 2011 has just been revised upwards by a further $378 billion to a whopping $1.645 trillion. As of January 2011, the total outstanding debt of the U.S. Federal government is $14.131 trillion. These numbers are huge, Huge, HUGE but Americans believe there is really no need to worry that much about such astrnomical numbers because they all know that it’s going to get much, much worse. They all know that there’s no sense worrying about this little milestone on the road to hell. Words: 1016
Martin Weiss’ team of international experts – Mike Larson in North America, Claus Vogt in Europe, Tony Sagami on Asia, Rudy Martin on South America – and Ron Rowland, one of the nation’s foremost experts on international exchange-traded funds (ETFs) met recently to discuss and determine what they think is coming next. They came up with eight new forecasts for 2010 — some very negative, some very positive – and put forth specific, actionable recommendations based on their conclusions. Words: 1969
If our assessment is correct, over the coming years, stocks, precious metals, commodities and real-estate will appreciate in value versus paper currencies. Furthermore, on a relative basis, we expect precious metals and commodities to outperform all other asset-classes. Conversely, we anticipate that cash and fixed income instruments will probably turn out to be the worst assets to own over the next decade. Words: 869
von Mises once said, “There is no means of avoiding the final collapse of a boom brought about by credit expansion. The alternative is only whether the crisis should come sooner as the result of a voluntary abandonment of further credit expansion, or later, as a final and total catastrophe of the currency involved” and just that is happening before our very eyes. Words: 2242
Central banking makes it possible for the government to expand the money supply by any amount, at any time deemed necessary and once (hyper)inflation is publicly seen as being the lesser evil of all options available for the government meeting its debt service, it cannot be dismissed out of hand that (hyper)inflation would be the consequence of an unsustainable debt-to-GDP ratio. Words: 982
A recent research paper* by the Bank for International Settlements, entitled “The Future of Public Debt: Prospects and Implications” paints a terrifying prospect for the inhabitants of most of the developed world with deficits spiralling out of control for every western industrialized country under study and inflation a foregone conclusion as a result. Words: 1128
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