Eurozone slides back into recession

[Bad_Daddy 2,209]

http://news.yahoo.com/eurozone-slides-back-recession-150035425--finance.html

By PAN PYLAS | Associated Press – 4 hrs ago

LONDON (AP) — The 17-country eurozone has fallen back into recession for the first time in three years as the fallout from the region's financial crisis was felt from Amsterdam to Athens.

And with surveys pointing to increasingly depressed conditions across the 17-member group at a time of austerity and high unemployment, the recession is forecast to deepen, and make the debt crisis — which has been calmer of late — even more difficult to handle.

Official figures Thursday showed that the eurozone contracted by 0.1 percent in the July to September period from the quarter before as economies including Germany and the Netherlands suffer from falling demand.

The decline reported by Eurostat, the EU's statistics office, was in line with market expectations and follows on from the 0.2 percent fall recorded in the second quarter. As a result, the eurozone is technically in recession, commonly defined as two straight quarters of falling output.

The eurozone economy shrank at annual rate of 0.2 percent during the July-September quarter, according to calculations by Capital Economics.

"The eurozone economy will continue its decline in Q4 and probably well into 2013 too — a good backdrop for another debt crisis," said Michael Taylor, an economist at Lombard Street Research.

Because of the eurozone's grueling three-year debt crisis, the region has been the major focus of concern for the world economy. The eurozone economy is worth around €9.5 trillion, or $12.1 trillion, which puts it on a par with the U.S.. The region, with its 332 million people, is the U.S.'s largest export customer, and any fall-off in demand will hit order books.

While the U.S has managed to bounce back from its own recession in 2008-09, albeit inconsistently, and China continues to post strong growth, Europe's economies have been on a downward spiral — and there is little sign of any improvement in the near-term. Last week, the European Union's executive arm forecast the eurozone's economy would shrink 0.4 percent this year. Then only a meager 0.1 percent growth in 2013.

The eurozone had avoided returning to recession since the financial crisis following the collapse of U.S. investment bank Lehman Brothers, mainly thanks to the strength of its largest single economy, Germany.

But even that country is now struggling as exports drain in light of the economic problems afflicting large chunks of the eurozone.

Germany's economy grew 0.2 percent in the third quarter, down from a 0.3 percent increase in the previous quarter. Over the past year, Germany's annual growth rate has more than halved to 0.9 percent from 1.9 percent.

Germany's Chancellor, Angela Merkel, tried to strike a positive note when she spoke to reporters in Berlin Thursday.

"I think we all are working on getting back on our feet again rapidly," she said.

"We see that economic growth is slowing, that overall we have a small drop in the eurozone but I'm also very optimistic that if we do our political homework ... we will again have growth after this small decline."

Perhaps the most dramatic decline among the eurozone's members was seen in the Netherlands, which has imposed strict austerity measures. Its economy shrank 1.1 percent on the previous quarter.

Five eurozone countries are in recession — Greece, Spain, Italy, Portugal and Cyprus. Those five are also at the center of Europe's debt crisis and are imposing austerity measures, such as cuts to wages and pensions and increases to taxes, in an attempt to stay afloat.

As well as hitting workers' incomes and living standards, these measures have also led to a decline in economic output and a sharp increase in unemployment.

Spain and Greece have unemployment rates of over 25 percent. Their young people are faring even worse with every other person out of work. As well as being a cost to governments who have to pay out more for benefits, it carries a huge social and human cost.

Protests across Europe on Wednesday highlighted the scale of discontent and with economic surveys pointing to the downturn getting worse, the voices of anger may well get louder still.

"The likelihood is that this anger will continue to grow unless European leaders and policymakers start to act as if they have a clue as to how to resolve the crisis starting to unravel before their eyes," said Michael Hewson, markets analyst at CMC Markets.

Europe has no doubt made some progress this year in allaying some of the worst fears in the markets, notably through the announcement of new bond-buying program from the European Central Bank. However, with Greece still teetering on the edge and the eurozone in recession, the economic storms are never far away.

Mario Draghi, the ECB's president has been widely credited for helping foster the more optimistic tone in the markets but he admits there's still a long way to go.

"The year that is about to end will be remembered not only for the effects the European sovereign debt crisis has had on the euro and for the significant weakening of the European economy, but also for the responses to these challenges by the ECB, national governments and the European Union," he said in a speech at Univerisita Bocconi in Milan.

"Ultimately, it is up to governments to dispel once and for all the persistent uncertainties that markets perceive and citizens fear," Draghi added.

The wider 27-nation EU, which includes non-euro countries, avoided the same recession fate as the eurozone. Eurostat said the EU's output rose 0.1 percent during the third quarter, largely on the back of an Olympics-related boost in Britain.

The EU's output as a whole is greater than the U.S. It is also a major source of sales for the world's leading companies. Forty percent of McDonald's global revenue comes from Europe - more than it generates in the U.S. General Motors, meanwhile, sold 1.7 million vehicles in Europe last year, a fifth of its worldwide sales.

[Mr. Big Dog 10,747]

Austerity at work!

[Bad_Daddy 2,209]

Austerity at work!

They have no choice. Either they can stick to their Socialist ways and default on their loans which will bring the EU to it's knees along with the German banks, or they can suck it up and deal with it. Don't spend money you don't have and ####### like this doesn't happen. I pay cash for most every thing including my vehicles.

[Mr. Big Dog 10,747]

They have no choice.

Of course they do. They could chose growth.

[Bad_Daddy 2,209]

Of course they do. They could chose growth.

Is there a money tree island somewhere out in the Mediterranean that the Spaniards and Greeks don't know about? You have to have the money in order to spend the money. They are beyond broke. Take a look at their payment plan is and it's mind blowing. If they deviate from that payment plan then they end up defaulting on those loans which means they are no longer in the EU and the German banks will eat the difference. It will have a domino effect across Europe and it won't be a good one for sure.

Edited November 16, 2012 by Bad_Daddy

[Mr. Big Dog 10,747]

Is there a money tree island somewhere out in the Mediterranean that the Spaniards and Greeks don't know about? You have to have the money in order to spend the money. They are beyond broke. Take a look at their payment plan is and it's mind blowing. If they deviate from that payment plan then they end up defaulting on those loans which means they are no longer in the EU and the German banks will eat the difference. It will have a domino effect across Europe and it won't be a good one for sure.

You know, someone that compares his personal finance to national fiscal, economic and budgetary matters has already shown to be clueless. See, they cut back spending and choked off their economies that way. What did they want to accomplish? Smaller deficits and less debt. What did they accomplish? Larger deficits and more debt. Not just in nominal terms but also relative to their economies. Now they have a quarter of their population out of work, nobody is spending any money because nobody has any and so more businesses lay people off because there is no consumption that would justify production of goods and services. They're in a downward spiral where their economies are shrinking, their unemployment rises, their tax collection collapse and their deficits blow up and their debt levels rise. Austerity does not work. It never has. It never will. Anywhere.

[Harpa Timsah 13,258]

The OP doesn't know what you're talking about Big Dog, yet argues about it... lol.

Edited November 16, 2012 by Harpa Timsah

[I AM NOT THAT GUY 5,715]

The OP doesn't know what you're talking about Big Dog, yet argues about it... lol.

The OP doesn't know what you're talking about Big Dog, yet argues about it... lol.

[Mr. Big Dog 10,747]

The OP doesn't know what you're talking about Big Dog, yet argues about it... lol.

It's funny how he thinks his paying cash for everything has any bearing on national economic and fiscal matters.

[I AM NOT THAT GUY 5,715]

It's funny how he thinks his paying cash for everything has any bearing on national economic and fiscal matters.

Pay as you go is a great policy, well, as least it was until Jefferson became President.

[Mr. Big Dog 10,747]

Pay as you go is a great policy, well, as least it was until Jefferson became President.

Pay as you go is great - not sure why Republicans abandoned it. Be that as it may, it is not the same - not even close - as paying cash for your personal purchases.

[I AM NOT THAT GUY 5,715]

Pay as you go is great - not sure why Republicans abandoned it.

I think Jefferson wanted to support Napoleon and acquire rights to the Mississippi water shed, but was short of cash at the time.

[Mr. Big Dog 10,747]

I think Jefferson wanted to support Napoleon and acquire rights to the Mississippi water shed, but was short of cash at the time.

I was thinking about a more recent breed of Republicans. This century.

[Brother Hesekiel 2,236]

Debt sucks, but there's no way to pay it back if you are not allowed to work.

So let's say you are a bookie who made mistakes and had a bad run. You owe 3-Finger-Joe $10,000.

He can now come and put your pockets upside down every time you've received a few hundred bucks in profit, or he can take it easy on you and allow you to make money with the money he has. Money makes money, and without capital there's no way to make money and without being able to make money 3-Finger Joe will never get all of his $10,000 back.

Sometimes, it just makes sense to look at the bigger picture, instead of focusing on short-term gains.

You are in the stock market, Gary, aren't you?

[Bad_Daddy 2,209]

You know, someone that compares his personal finance to national fiscal, economic and budgetary matters has already shown to be clueless. See, they cut back spending and choked off their economies that way. What did they want to accomplish? Smaller deficits and less debt. What did they accomplish? Larger deficits and more debt. Not just in nominal terms but also relative to their economies. Now they have a quarter of their population out of work, nobody is spending any money because nobody has any and so more businesses lay people off because there is no consumption that would justify production of goods and services. They're in a downward spiral where their economies are shrinking, their unemployment rises, their tax collection collapse and their deficits blow up and their debt levels rise. Austerity does not work. It never has. It never will. Anywhere.

You should email the Greek and Spanish governments along with the German government and German banks offering your services. For some strange reason the EU along with the German banks begged Spain and Greece to seek austerity measures. I'm sure you know better though so I see you making a killing off of them as their new financial adviser.

The OP doesn't know what you're talking about Big Dog, yet argues about it... lol.

Really Harpo? So you were in my accounting class after all weren't you?

Edited November 16, 2012 by Bad_Daddy