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World economy 26th October 2011

De Jager: “Definitive summit? The Anglo-Saxon press made that up”

Passing on a clarifying (!?) note from Citi analysts… “The first comments, which anticipate a much discussed and possibly without clear conclusions summit in Europe today, were disappointing. Especially on two, at the moment, important issues: banking and the EFSF. Also, the markets themselves were disappointing. Gold has again gone up sharply ($ 1,714 an ounce) as well as raw materials (crude oil $ 111.35 per barrel). This rise is…

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World economy 25th October 2011

The US new battle arena: tax policy

NEW YORK | Every Republican candidate is trying to get as much political momentum as possible these days. And the tax code renewal is particularly inspiring the frontrunners. Herman Cain’s 9-9-9 tax proposal (9 percent federal sales tax, a 9 percent income tax and a 9 percent levy on businesses) has been a big point of focus, both because of his claims of the plan’s simplicity, as well as the…

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World economy 25th October 2011

Zero interest rate and other myths of the Great Depression’s U.S. monetary policy

By Miguel Navascués, in Madrid | H. Clark Johnson, professor at Yale University, identifies in a paper titled Monetary policy and the Great Recession, what he calls the six myths of U.S. monetary policy during the Great Depression. The paper not only explains the cause of the hole we’re in, but also the reasons why zero interest rate does not imply monetary expansion. In the latter case, the reason is simple:…

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World economy 25th October 2011

Zero interest rate and other myths of the Great Depression's U.S. monetary policy

By Miguel Navascués, in Madrid | H. Clark Johnson, professor at Yale University, identifies in a paper titled Monetary policy and the Great Recession, what he calls the six myths of U.S. monetary policy during the Great Depression. The paper not only explains the cause of the hole we’re in, but also the reasons why zero interest rate does not imply monetary expansion. In the latter case, the reason is simple:…

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World economy 21st October 2011

A US super-committee for a US super-comedy

WASHINGTON | No more than a 1% of U.S. citizens accumulate 20% of the income and 35.6% of the wealth (in assets, labor income and capital), which constitutes the largest concentration of wealth on the richest hands since the existence of statistics in this country. But at the same time, they contribute a 38% of federal tax income. In addition, there are 43 states that have their own income tax. In…

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World economy 20th October 2011

Now, who'd take advantage of Libya?

LONDON | Cheering the crude end that military dictator Muammar Gaddafi met on Wednesday, Libyans in the British capital gathered late in the evening outside the Libyan Embassy near Knightsbridge: they are not the only ones closely watching their freed country. The shots that made history in Misrata will soon open the race among European and US companies to land in Libya and begin doing business, too. Or to renew existing deals. Oil…

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World economy 20th October 2011

Now, who’d take advantage of Libya?

LONDON | Cheering the crude end that military dictator Muammar Gaddafi met on Wednesday, Libyans in the British capital gathered late in the evening outside the Libyan Embassy near Knightsbridge: they are not the only ones closely watching their freed country. The shots that made history in Misrata will soon open the race among European and US companies to land in Libya and begin doing business, too. Or to renew existing deals. Oil…

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World economy 18th October 2011

9-9-9 and karaoke

Meet a Republican candidate to the US presidency who dared to sing this at the Omaha press club in 1991: “Imagine there’s no pizza / I couldn’t if I tried / Eating only tacos / Or Kentucky Fried / Imagine only burgers / It’s frightening and sad…”

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World economy 16th October 2011

Occupy LSE Sunday Quotes’ Fest

We've selected some comments from public remarks published on social websites by demonstrators and observers of this weekend's globalised protests against the financial state of things. @Izaakson: Occupying the London Stock Exchange twitpic.com/70npad #occupy Sophie Payne What books on economics should we read? Mises and Hayek? Are we allowed to educate ourselves by reading Keynes or Galbraith? Or even…Marx? DMReporter PROTEST: Occupy London Stock Exchange protesters vow to give up worldly possessions and close their bank…