Eurozone Crisis: In the Eye of the Storm The Eurozone crisis has been in retreat since the introduction of the European Central Bank’s (ECB) three-year long-term refinancing operations (LTROs) in late December 2011. At the European Council Meeting in early March, journalists who cover the crisis fretted that boredom loomed. The current lull does not indicate that the Eurozone is in the clear, but rather it is simply in the eye of the storm, and more drama inevitably awaits. Extend and pretend So far, there are three key mechanisms the troika — the European Commission, International Monetary Fund (IMF) and ECB — has employed to buy time for the Eurozone’s weaker countries to regain competitiveness and return to growth. Each of these could fail over the next few years, prompting a renewed intensification of the crisis.
What has Davos done for us? For more than four decades, the World Economic Forum (WEF) has pitched its annual shindig in Davos as a chance for powerful leaders in business, politics, media and academia to convene in one spot to trade ideas on how to solve the pressing global problems of the day. And for about as long, critics have dismissed the invitation-only event as nothing more than a glorified networking get-together for elites, or, as U2 singer Bono once called it, a meeting of “fat cats in the snow”. But are critics right to so quickly trash the Davos meeting?
Global Macro Monitor INSIDE DAVOS: What It's Like Inside One of the World's Most Exclusive Conferences [PICS] We're reporting this week from the World Economic Forum, in which top businesspeople, politicians, influencers and media gather to discuss the world's biggest problems and how to solve them. One part of that solution will be technology, and we're here to learn how tech is reshaping industries, communities and countries. What's it like here in Davos? We've already shown you the small Swiss town that just got invaded by the likes of Bill Clinton, Bill Gates, George Soros and Arianna Huffington, but how about seeing inside the Congress Centre, where the conference itself takes place? Once you get beyond the tight security — including metal detectors and an electronic scan of your attendee badge — you'll find the place swarming with world leaders and business people.
Calculated Risk THE TRUTH ABOUT DAVOS: What Happens When You Don't Get Invited To Any Parties The Bonddad Blog CARPE DIEM