Dr. Ludger Schuknecht, senior economist at the Germany Finance Ministry, explains his ministry’s viewpoint regarding Greece. This viewpoint essentially holds that Eurozone countries should live within their means; adjust to their debt burdens; and take their reform medicine as needed. If they do so, they will be successful, as illustrated by Ireland, Spain, and Portugal. Greece … Continue reading
Ukraine’s international private creditors have proposed a 5% haircut. Last month Kiev asked the bondholders for a 40% debt relief worth about $15 billion. The 5% debt reduction proposal was made this week by Ukraine’s largest creditor Franklin Templeton Investments. The investment house holds about $8.9 billion in bonds, according to two people close to the negotiations. It … Continue reading
Originally posted on Yanis Varoufakis:
Tomorrow’s EU Summit will seal Greece’s fate in the Eurozone. As these lines are being written, Euclid Tsakalotos, my great friend, comrade and successor as Greece’s Finance Ministry is heading for a Eurogroup meeting that will determine whether a last ditch agreement between Greece and our creditors is reached and whether…
Financial bailouts, stimulus spending, and lower revenues during the Great Recession have resulted in some of the highest public debt ratios seen in advanced economies in the past forty years. Recent debates have centered on the pace at which to pay down this debt, with few questions being asked about whether the debt needs to … Continue reading