Global Economy, Europe Debt | featured news

The anti-austerity backlash - as seen at the polls in France and Greece - is already shaping a new debate in Europe... Europe's leaders will address a conundrum that divides economists: can you have austerity and growth at the same time?

Unemployment rose to 10.9 percent in April, the 11th monthly increase in row, and is likely to add to tension ahead of national elections in Greece and France on Sunday.

Spain's latest credit rating downgrade has thrown into sharp relief the need to revive a banking sector that could need another 100 billion euros to cover bad debts in order to avoid exposing another weak flank in the euro zone crisis.

Italian Prime Minister Mario Monti declared on Wednesday that reviving economic growth now had to take priority over belt tightening that could plunge the country deeper into recession.

Just when we thought the euro crisis had subsided for a bit, Spain is bursting back up as a trouble spot. On Wednesday, Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy said the country is “facing an economic situation of extreme difficulty.” Spain is struggling to borrow money and can’t hit its deficit targets.

Decision day for the Greek debt crisis is drawing near, and insiders are predicting that if things go awry it could cost the world economy $1 trillion.

Unemployment across the 17 countries that use the euro ended 2011 at a record high of one person in every 10, official figures showed Tuesday, a day after EU leaders acknowledged that they would have to boost economic growth with the same urgency that they had shown in combating their nations' debts....

The World Bank is moving to prop up the European banking system in response to the crisis in the region, echoing the steps it took during the 2008 world crisis and reflecting heightening fear that the euro’s problems are starting to crimp the global economy.

The world economy will lose momentum in 2012 but it will keep moving in the right direction, according to Reuters polls of around 600 economists who said crisis-hit Europe would drag on global growth.

Greece faces another tough year in 2012 but must stick to its program of austerity and reform to stay in the euro, Prime Minister Lucas Papademos said in a pre-recorded New Year's Eve address.