All Stefan Karlsson
Oh, the irony: Obama and Romney, and that infamous mandateMitt Romney, who is against the White House's health care act, actually implemented a similar plan in Massachusetts. President Obama pledged not to raise taxes on the middle class, but the Supreme Court has ruled the plan will essentially do just that.
Health reform cost is complicated, both sides ignore factsHealth reform cost is one complicated issue, according to Stefan Karlsson. But for those arguing that Obamacare decreases American freedoms, our analyst only has one word: Medicare.
Race against time: Eastern Europe growing old before rich?With the labor force soon starting to shrink dramatically because of the lagged effect of the collapse of birth rates in the early 1990s, Stefan Karlsson believes that most, if not all, Eastern European countries will grow old before they grow rich.
Eastern Europe's coming labor force implosionMany Eastern Europeans couldn't afford children following the collapse of communism, and birth rates plummeted in the early 1990s. As a result, over the next decade, the total drop in the region's youth labor market may reach 40 percent.
Given political restraints, the Fed has little actual powerUsing current methods, under current political restraints, government inflation is not feasible to any real extent. Barring a more clever scheme, the Fed lacks the power to generate the kind of extra monetary inflation some on the left have called for.
Portugal stands out as largest euro success story so farPortugal stands out as the country making the biggest improvements, while neighboring Spain is seeing the smallest. Portugal's deficit in the first four months of 2012 is far lower than it was in the same period of last year.
How should we measure economic recoveries?Iceland's recent recovery is weak, but many economists are touting it as a model of success. Does this call for more objective standards for what we can and can't hail as a 'recovery?'
Direct effects of debt crisis can't explain away British deficitSome may say that Stefan Karlsson's assertion that an increasing British trade deficit is a sign of an overvalued pound, arguing instead that it reflects the euro area debt crisis. But Karlsson still maintains that there are other issues at play.
Safe haven? Hardly. Why the pound is overvalued.Bonds from Britain are still considered smart investments, since the country is a "safe haven," despite the fact that Britain a both large debt and deficit, as well as a central bank that relentlessly tries to lower the value of its currency.
Correcting Krugman: Setting the record straight on Latvia laborIn response to recent comments by US economist Paul Krugman, Karlsson clarifies and explains the concept of labor mobility, along with its potential for lowering unemployment rates across the eurozone region.
What Greece can learn from FinlandDespite being half its size, Finland actually surpassed Greece in first quarter GDP last year. What is Finland doing right, and what is Greece doing wrong?
Are we underestimating the US job market?Some argue that the most recent payroll survey, which shows a paltry gain in jobs, is underestimating the US job market.But the payroll survey is a more reliable marker of job growth than the household survey.
Estonia rising: The little country that couldResponding to criticisms of one of the European Union's newest and poorest members, Karlsson argues that even adjusting for fortuitous circumstances along its borders, Estonia's performance the last two years makes it an austerity success story.
'Safe havens' starting to look a lot less secureContinued worries about Spain and Greece, increasing signs that the weak US recovery is getting weaker and indications that the euro area slumps are deepening push down bond yields in perceived "safe haven" countries.
Economic growth, or a slowdown in US productivity?Economic growth, or a slow down in overall productivity? Analyst Karlsson argues that what many economists had announced as an uptick in employment growth late last year and early this year was actually a slowing of US productivity.
The case for a German value added taxThe continuing eurozone crisis has economists debating the case for a value added tax, or whether or not the German surplus be reduced without reducing (and preferably in fact increasing) German incomes.
Europe can strengthen Greece without weakening GermanySome experts warn that Greece can't reduce its current deficit unless Germany and other better-off nations reduce their surpluses. Here's why they're wrong.
Will Greek default really mean leaving the EU?German leaders have warned that if Greece cancels its austerity measures, Germany and others will stop funding the Greek budget deficit. That may not necessarily mean that Greece will be forced to exit the EU and reintroduce the drachma.
Sweden: a spending reduction success storySince 2006, when the current Swedish government was elected, government spending relative to GDP fell from 52.9 percent in 2006 to 51.8 percent in 2011, faring much better than the global average.
Will a dividend tax hike lower stock values?If current law isn't changed, then there will be a big increase in the taxation of dividends in the US next year, something that will send stock prices lower.
