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GEAB Country-Risk 2012 - Canada.

Since last year's report, Canada’s risk was revised upwards, and the country is now incorporated into the medium risk group. Despite an overall situation that is stable, the explosion of the housing bubble (as seen in GEAB No. 69) will have serious repercussions. It is also penalized for its dependence on its neighbor and, to a lesser extent, by a conservative party that has been in power since 2006, by possible follow-ups to student protests in Quebec (whose success could set a precedent), and by a Quebec without a clear majority after the September 4 elections.  LEAP/E2020 - Excerpt GEAB N°70 (Dec. 2012)

French public debt dips to 89.9 pct of GDP at end-Q3.

France's public sector debt fell by 14.5 billion euros in the third quarter to 1.818 trillion euros, or 89.9 per cent of economic output, the INSEE national statistics office said on Thursday. The figure, calculated according to the European Union's Maastricht criteria, fell mainly due to lower central government debt...   Business Times

Brazil’s currency warriors swap sides. 

The currency war is far from over, it seems – it’s just that the Brazilian government has changed sides. After more than two years of fighting the appreciation of the real against the dollar, Brazil’s authorities are now pulling out all the stops to strengthen the local currency...    Financial Times

 

The magic of currencies: UK overtakes Brazil as the world’s sixth largest economy.

Despite recession and the poor performance Britain has clawed back the ground it lost to Brazil in the rankings of the world's richest economies - but it is not expected to hold on to the spot for long...   MercoPress

Russia looks east to get more from its cross-border trade with China.

Twelve years ago, Russia pulled its troops out of the military town of Bezrechnaya, several hours' drive from the country's main border crossing into China. The abandoned buildings were then stripped to their foundations by jobless locals, some of whom lost their lives scavenging for the second-hand bricks that sell for less than a penny each...    The Guardian

Long-suffering Bankia shareholders set for more losses.

Spain's Bankia will wipe out the investments of 350,000 shareholders, many of them small savers and pensioners, after it emerged that losses on bad loans at the troubled bank were even worse than expected...  Reuters

 A front-page crisis tears at German newspapers.

Germany's large-circulation newspapers were once a guarantee of high-quality journalism. But with pressure from the Internet, circulations are dropping and, some fear, editorial standards... Deutsche Welle

Chinese rating agency puts U.S. on negative watch. 

Chinese rating agency Dagong Global Credit Rating Co. on Tuesday put U.S. sovereign debt on a negative watch and highlighted what it said was a lack of political consensus on how to tackle Washington's debt problem over the long term. In a statement on its website, the rating agency said "each political party insists on the proposition favorable for its own interest... Market Watch

Les prises de position nippones inquiètent la Chine.

En 2006, après son accession au pouvoir, Shinzo Abe avait déjà hérité d'une situation tendue avec la Chine. Il avait joué alors l'apaisement, réservant son premier voyage au grand pays voisin pour "briser la glace", après la période compliquée de Junichiro Koizumi, qui avait indisposé Pékin par ses visites répétées au temple Yasukuni.  Le Monde

Over the fiscal cliff: What kind of landing? 

Efforts to save the nation from going over a year-end "fiscal cliff" were in disarray as lawmakers fled the Capitol for their Christmas break. "God only knows" how a deal can be reached now, House Speaker John Boehner declared. President Barack Obama, on his way out of town himself, insisted a bargain could still be struck before Dec. 31. "Call me a hopeless optimist," he said...  Huffington Post

La pauvreté augmente aux États-Unis.

Le nombre de sans-abris et de personnes faisant appel aux soupes populaires a augmenté en 2012 aux États-Unis, alors que les villes à cours de moyens renvoient des gens dans le besoin faute de pouvoir les secourir, montre une enquête publiée jeudi... La Presse.ca

Euro-BRICS 2012-2014 : Towards thematic cooperation networks based on a specific politico-diplomatic framework (Report of the 3rd Euro-BRICS Seminar) 

 This report’s format follows that of the seminar itself, reviewing the various topics of co-operation which were addressed, the question of the world governance, and concluding by a series of proposals for the operational set-up of this new Euro-BRICS area for strategic co-operation...  Europe2020

Why the US media ignored Murdoch's brazen bid to hijack the presidency.

In the American instance, Murdoch's goal seems to have been nothing less than using his media empire – notably Fox News – to stealthily recruit, bankroll and support the presidential candidacy of General David Petraeus in the 2012 election...  The Guardian

No Happy New Year for UK as Gloom Worsens.

With gloomy economic forecasts, falling consumer confidence and poor retail figures adding to concerns over talk of the U.K. leaving the European Union, 2013 is set to be a tough year for the country, analysts say...  CNBC

 How risky is the Fed's major move? 

A bold and necessary move? Yes, but the Fed's growing activism has limits and is ultimately inconsistent with the proper efficient functioning of a market economy... Fortune

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