Economy Tag

For the first time in three weeks, Greek banks opened for business; but for account holders, that renewed access to cash comes at a price. Although doors opened and ATMs were stocked, Greeks looking to cash out were met with the continuation of withdrawal restrictions of 60 euros per day; the government slightly relaxed the rules put in place during its negotiations with the rest of the Eurozone, and set an additional 420 euro per week limit, eliminating the need for daily runs on ATM machines and bank tills. Checking transactions are limited to deposits, and account holders are still restricted from taking out cash while abroad. Shoppers saw a 10% hike in the country's VAT tax approved by parliament on Thursday; parliament also agreed to reforms of pension and early retirement programs that have Greek citizens worried. The Wall Street Journal has on the ground coverage: Of course, those worrisome cuts were demanded by creditors for very good reasons.

Illinois' new budget year starts tomorrow, and unless Republicans and Democrats can come to an agreement on fiscal policy, the state will kick things off without the ability to pay the bills. Illinois has a reputation for being largely rural, yet bafflingly Democratic. The Chicago machine---not those languishing in my old stomping grounds in the capitol of Springfield---runs things, but for the first time in over a decade, a solidly Democratic legislature is dealing with a Republican governor. Bruce Rauner has spent his time bucking the trends that have run Illinois into the ground, but Democrats have, in turn, bucked his pro-business agenda and are demanding a massive tax increase to make up for a $4 billion dollar shortfall. The AP has the back story:

The back-and-forth is the latest in a months-long fight between Rauner and majority Democrats over how to resolve Illinois' massive financial problems and — more recently — who will take the blame if state government begins grinding to a halt and critical services are cut off. The two sides have been deadlocked over how to eliminate a deficit that's the largest of any state in the U.S. Illinois already is billions behind in paying its bills and has the nation's worst-funded state pensions, with a more than $100 billion shortfall.

Real talk: Uber is a fantastic service. Living in Washington, D.C., I've come to appreciate the availability of drivers who know the city well enough to not get me stuck in a quagmire when I'm making a quick trip across town. It's a rare thing, and 9 times out of 10, a true D.C. cabbie will do the job (at 50 miles an hour through Chinatown in the bike lane, but who's complaining?)---but what if there's no cabbie in sight? Call an Uber, silly. The Uber ride share service has taken America by storm, and for good reason; the unmitigated hassle of calling a cab company, finding an available car, and arranging a ride has been re-privatized using a single app and a network of drivers who are itching to take you where you need to go. It's usually cheaper than a cab (at least in my experience) and less dicey with regards to routes and payment. Everything is handled through the app, and if your driver takes you home via Timbuktu, you can complain and earn yourself a refund. (Try complaining to a cabbie---you're likely to get the cops called.) It's easy! It's wonderful! It's under fire from California bureaucrats! Of course.

Entering 2015, most economists expected that the Federal Reserve would finally begin raising short-term interest rates. Fewer than two weeks in to the year and that thesis is already beginning to crumble. For seven years, the Fed kept interest rates at rock-bottom levels and employed a massive money-printing program called Quantitative Easing in the hopes of boosting the money supply, expanding credit, and causing inflation to jump-start the economy (so the theory goes). Many experts have long waited for the Fed to "normalize" policy and raise rates, for reasons that include a desire to stop expanding the money supply, and wanting the Fed to have a cushion to lower them once again when another crisis occurs. While credit finally appears to be coming more available, neither the mild-mannered inflation the Fed wanted nor the rampant hyperinflation Fed detractors prophesied has materialized. In 2014 the CPI inflation rate was 1.3%, the lowest since 2008. However, most economists, including those at the Fed, like to see 2% inflation. [caption id="attachment_112614" align="aligncenter" width="542"] Graph from www.usinflationcalculator.com.[/caption]

Californians are starting 2015 with a fresh round of new taxes, and the inauguration of Democrat Jerry Brown for an unprecedented fourth term as California's governor. As part of his inaugural address, Brown derided critics of the state's current economy, and conjured up a fantasy of balanced budgets and robust employment.

“We are at a crossroads,” Brown said in his inaugural address. “With big and important new programs now launched and the budget carefully balanced, the challenge is to build for the future, not steal from it, to live within our means and to keep California ever golden and creative, as our forebears have shown and our descendents would expect.”

However, the true fiscal picture for the Golden State is a little less dreamy:

The label "Sick Man of Europe" has been awarded to many a European nation and empire since it was first used to describe the decrepit Ottoman Empire in the mid-19th century. Today, it seems the entirety of Europe, save the United Kingdom and Switzerland, is worthy of the "sick man" title. The Eurozone is teetering on the brink of yet another economic crisis thanks to continued low growth, high debt, and the rise of populist political parties in the weaker Euro economies. The euro currency dropped 11% against the dollar this year, falling to its lowest levels in two years. Russia, as I have already covered, is reeling in the face of 2014's plummet in oil prices and faces a crisis in its own currency; in fact, Russia's GDP contracted 0.5% in November, marking the first Russian decline since 2009, and is expected to decline 0.8% in 2015. Even Scandinavian economies, like those in Denmark, Norway, and Sweden, are positioned for trouble in 2015. With its economy tanking, there is little consensus on what Russia will look like politically in 2015. Basically, Putin has three choices: 1) Weather the storm hoping for a speedy recovery in oil prices, 2) Militaristic voyeurism (to boost domestic popularity, power, and perhaps induce a crisis that would prop up oil prices), or 3) Commit to real economic reforms along the lines of divesting state assets, weeding out corruption, and promoting a diversified economy. But right now most analysts and pundits are nervously looking at the political situation in Greece. On Monday, the Greek Parliament failed to elect a president, forcing a snap election, which will be held on Jan. 25. The current center-right coalition, led by Prime Minister Antonis Samaras's New Democracy Party, is expected to lose to the far-left populist party Syriza. Syriza's economic platform seeks to reverse austerity measures put in place after the first round of bailouts in 2010 and to repudiate much of Greece's debt, which currently sits at over 174% of GDP.