All Stefan Karlsson
- Should Greece ditch the euro?Some think that Greece and other weak euro area countries would benefit from ditching the euro and introducing devalued national currencies. Are they right?
- France and Greece elections: Threat to Eurozone recovery?The elections in France and Greece won't bode well for economic recovery in Europe, according to Karlsson.
- The battle of the Pauls: Ron Paul talks economic theoryRon Paul and economist Paul Krugman debated fiscal theory on Bloomberg TV. Who won?
- Double-dip recessions in Spain and UK. Which is worse?Spain and the UK have both reported double-dip recession. One striking difference is the rates of real wages and employment.
- UK enters a double-dip recessionToday's preliminary GDP number from Britain showed that it has entered a double-dip recession as GDP has fallen two quarters in a row.
- China's birth rate slows. Its economy won't.Fewer babies are being born in China, but that shouldn't stop it from becoming the biggest economy in the word over the next few decades.
- Would electronic money end recessions?The latest advocate of abolishing paper money is writer Matthew Yglesias, who argues that a monetary system with only electronic money and payments would end recessions.
- British inflation grows and grows. Is it temporary?The British inflationary rate increased again in March, despite stagnant economic growth. Is it cause for worry?
- Can price inflation fix a lagging economy?Yes, but the boost it provides is temporary and offers no permanent solution.
- Want a job? Learn German.Unemployment statistics out of Europe show that German-speaking countries far outpace the rest in terms of job growth and low unemployment rates.
- The warm weather job boostThe unusually warm weather in the United States boosted job creation temporarily by allowing things like more construction activity.
- Is New Zealand the new international bully?New Zealand cabinet minister Gerry Brownlee's recent comments about Finland, including saying they have a "terrible homicide rate" and "no respect for women," have caused quite a stir among Fins.
- How do inflation booms affect long term growth?Investments won't contribute to an economy's long-term growth if they are the result of unsustainable money inflation, and what's worse, they could drag down fundamentally sound businesses in the process.
- Average pay in the UK dropped 5 percent over 10 yearsCompared to other European countries, Britain has had only a modest problem with unemployment, but earnings have dropped considerably.
- Slowing US productivity growth is reducing profitsThat productivity has stopped growing means that unless the trend is reversed or real wages continues to fall, profits can no longer grow.
- China's economy slowing? Not much.China doesn't seasonally adjust its trade numbers, so swings month to month can be misleading.
- Why the economy needs a strong service sectorA nation's economy doesn't have to be wholly reliant on manufacturing, and service sector jobs are a strong indicator of an economy's health.
- Gas prices: US and Britain's role reversalUntil recently, the United States was a big net importer of oil, while Britain was a small net exporter of oil. This meant that higher oil prices harmed the U.S. economy, but had a slightly positive effect on the U.K. economy. Now the two nations are switching roles.
- Why Obama's recovery won't match up to Reagan'sGrowth was consistently much higher during the Reagan recovery than in the Obama recovery but exceeded it by a lot more during the phase when government spending increased equally than when spending rose in the Reagan recovery compared to the Obama recovery.
- Currency: Will Iceland go Loonie?Iceland is considering adopting the Canadian dollar as its national currency. It's an odd choice, but it could be an improvement.