This past week, April 24, European finance ministers met in Riga, Latvia. High on the agenda was the topic of Greek debt negotiations. Two months after theFebruary 28 interim agreement between Greece and the EU ‘troika’—the IMF, European Commission, and European Central Bank—in which both sides agreed to continue negotiating—little has changed. In fact, led by its de facto spokesperson, hardline …
Are EU Officials Plotting Regime Change in Greece? – MARK WEISBROT
There are various narratives for what is happening to Greece as another deadline looms – the April 24 gathering of finance ministers in Riga — and European officials show no sign of compromise. The most common is that this is a game of brinkmanship, with the Germans and their allies pushing for “reforms” that the Syriza government in Greece doesn’t …
US economic decline overshadows IMF-World Bank meeting – Nick Beams
The annual spring meetings of the International Monetary Fund and World Bank held in Washington over the weekend comprised the treasurers and central bankers, together with financial experts and analysts, from all the major capitalist economies. However not a single proposal was advanced from this high-level meeting to alleviate, let alone resolve, the mounting problems besetting global capitalism. The reason …
Finance Officials: Threats To Global Economy On The Horizon – Martin Crutsinger & Harry Dunphy
World finance officials said Saturday they see a number of threats on the horizon for a global economy still clawing back from the deepest recession in seven decades, and a potential Greek debt default presents the most immediate risk. After finance officials wrapped up three days of talks, the International Monetary Fund’s policy committee set a goal of working toward …
Greece Demands €278 Billion World War II Reparations from Germany, More Than its Debt to EU
Germany owes Greece no less than €278.7 billion in World War II reparations, Athens said, referring to the destruction wrought upon the nation during the Nazi occupation. The sum exceeds Greece’s total debt of €240 billion to the EU. “According to our calculations, the debt linked to German reparations is €278.7 billion euros, including €10.3 billion for the so-called forced …
Greeced Lightning! Will Greece Default? Will Athens Cut a Financial Deal with Moscow and Beijing?
We seem to have finally arrived at some sort of moment of truth regarding Greece and their inclusion in the EU. The speculation is they will be out of money by April 9th, this Thursday, unable to make a less than 500 million euro payment. Please keep in mind they have already been raiding the country’s pension plans to fund day to day …
NATO is Building Up for War
The German city of Frankfurt is continental Europe’s largest financial center and host to the country’s Stock Exchange, countless other financial institutions, and the headquarters of the European Central Bank (ECB) which is responsible for administering the monetary policy of the 18-nation Eurozone. The place is awash with money, as demonstrated by the plush new ECB office building which is …
The IMF Proposes “Global Wealth Confiscation”. The Appropriation of Household Savings
As first reported by Forbes, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) dropped a bomb in its October Fiscal Monitor Report. The report paints a dire picture for high-debt nations that fail to aggressively “mobilize domestic revenue,” which is code for “aggressively tax its citizens.” It goes on to build a case for drastic measures and recommends a series of escalating income and …
Are Equities Overvalued?
Since the global economic crisis, sharp divergences in economic performance have contributed to considerable stock-market volatility. Now, equity prices are reaching relatively high levels by conventional measures – and investors are starting to get nervous. The question is whether stock valuations are excessive relative to future earnings potential. The answer depends on two key variables: the discount rate and future …
The voodoo economics of Europe’s quantitative easing policy
In Europe, failure is no longer an option. If banks are in danger of collapse, in come the bailout loans. If countries have trouble financing themselves, the European Central Bank will buy their sovereign bonds. When inflation falls and growth stalls, there is a cure for that too – quantitative easing. QE, as it’s called, was officially announced in January …








