All Stefan Karlsson
Should Greece ditch the euro?Some think that Greece and other weak euro area countries would benefit from ditching the euro and introducing devalued national currencies. Are they right?
France and Greece elections: Threat to Eurozone recovery?The elections in France and Greece won't bode well for economic recovery in Europe, according to Karlsson.聽
The battle of the Pauls: Ron Paul talks economic theoryRon Paul and economist Paul Krugman debated fiscal theory on Bloomberg TV. Who won?
Double-dip recessions in Spain and UK. Which is worse?Spain and the UK have both reported double-dip recession.聽One striking difference is the rates of real wages and employment.聽
UK enters a double-dip recessionToday's preliminary GDP number from Britain showed that it has entered a double-dip recession as GDP has fallen two quarters in a row.聽
China's birth rate slows. Its economy won't.Fewer babies are being born in China, but that shouldn't stop it from becoming the biggest economy in the word over the next few decades.
Would electronic money end recessions?The latest advocate of abolishing paper money is writer Matthew Yglesias,聽who argues that a monetary system with only electronic money and payments would end recessions. 聽
British inflation grows and grows. Is it temporary?The British inflationary rate increased again in March, despite stagnant economic growth. Is it cause for worry?
Can price inflation fix a lagging economy?Yes, but the boost it provides is temporary and offers no permanent solution.
Want a job? Learn German.Unemployment statistics out of Europe show that German-speaking countries far outpace the rest in terms of job growth and low unemployment rates.
The warm weather job boostThe unusually warm weather in the United States boosted job creation temporarily by allowing things like more construction activity.
Is New Zealand the new international bully?New Zealand cabinet minister Gerry Brownlee's recent comments about Finland, including saying they have a "terrible homicide rate" and "no respect for women," have caused quite a stir among Fins.聽
How do inflation booms affect long term growth?Investments won't contribute to an economy's long-term growth if they are the result of unsustainable money inflation, and what's worse, they could drag down fundamentally sound businesses in the process.
Average pay in the UK dropped 5 percent over 10 yearsCompared to other European countries, Britain has had only a modest problem with unemployment, but earnings have dropped considerably.
Slowing US productivity growth is reducing profitsThat productivity has stopped growing means that unless the trend is reversed or real wages continues to fall, profits can no longer grow.
China's economy slowing? Not much.China doesn't seasonally adjust its trade numbers, so swings month to month can be misleading.
Why the economy needs a strong service sectorA nation's economy doesn't have to be wholly reliant on manufacturing, and service sector jobs are a strong indicator of an economy's health.
Gas prices: US and Britain's role reversalUntil recently, the United States was a big net importer of oil, while Britain was a small net exporter of oil. This meant that higher oil prices harmed the U.S. economy, but had a slightly positive effect on the U.K. economy. Now the two nations are switching roles.
Why Obama's recovery won't match up to Reagan'sGrowth was consistently much higher during the Reagan recovery than in the Obama recovery but exceeded it by a lot more during the phase when government spending increased equally than when spending rose in the Reagan recovery compared to the Obama recovery.
Currency: Will Iceland go Loonie?Iceland is considering adopting the Canadian dollar as its national currency. It's an odd choice, but it could be an improvement.
