Notes

  • Is France a 'Peripheral' Country?

    by Jacob Funk Kirkegaard | May 8, 2013 A few weeks ago Reuters reported that the French finance minister, Pierre Moscovici, fell asleep during the final late negotiations over the Cypriot bank bailout on March 24. It apparently fell to the International Monetary Fund (IMF) managing director, Christine Lagarde – a former French ...

  • Uncertain Prospects for Italy and Cyprus

    by Jacob Funk Kirkegaard | May 1, 2013 Installation of a new government in Italy and the first effects of the newly approved bailout in Cyprus provide some modestly optimistic data points for an otherwise weak euro area outlook. For Italy, a Fresh Start, a Youthful Team, but No Guarantees of Success In ...

  • Chinese FDI in the United States: Q1 2013 Update

    by Thilo Hanemann | April 30, 2013 After a weak fourth quarter 2012, FDI transactions by Chinese firms in the US are trending up again, and with more than $10 billion worth of deals announced or pending the pipeline is stronger than ever. This note discusses the key trends, transactions and political ...

  • Europe’s Household Survey: Is German Wealth Really that Modest?

    by Jacob Funk Kirkegaard | April 26, 2013 The European Central Bank’s first Household Finance and Consumption Survey (HFCS) for the euro area generated an unusual amount of attention and outrage earlier this month. Some controversy surrounded the timing of the release, which came after the German Bundesbank published part of the data ...

  • India's Nuclear Logic

    by Pramit Pal Chaudhuri | April 25, 2013 The former Indian foreign secretary, Shyam Saran, gave a revealing speech on India’s nuclear deterrent on April 24th. The speech was titled, somewhat vaguely, “Is India’s Nuclear Deterrent Credible?” But it more usefully updated India’s nuclear weapons status in a way that hasn’t happened since ...

  • China's International Investment Position: An Update

    Thilo Hanemann and Daniel H. Rosen | April 23, 2013 The People’s Bank of China just released new data on the nation’s International Investment Position (IIP) at year-end 2012. This note summarizes important changes to China’s external balance sheet in the course of the last year and explores the  policy developments and real economy trends ...