If you want to understand the state of the economic and financial world right now, this is the best chart to have. This is what…
Debt
Debt—and the aversion to it—defines the post-financial-crisis era. Developed economies are still recovering from the debt-fueled boom that burst in 2008. And emerging-market companies—from Latin American oil giants to Chinese property developers—have been on a borrowing binge. Whether it's hedge funds crusading against Argentina or China's effort to keep its housing market from toppling, debt is at the heart of many big stories.
TAKE THAT
Scandinavians are more indebted than Americans
Among the left-leaning chunk of the US populace, Scandinavian countries have an irresistible appeal. (You need only note the multiple references to Denmark in recent…
THE KIDS ARE NOT ALL RIGHT
The traditional US college model forces students to pay for classes they don’t need
On Aug. 10, Democratic candidate for US president Hillary Rodham Clinton unveiled a $350 billion plan to eliminate college debt and allow young Americans to…
DICEY TERRITORY
The other government debt crisis exploding right now: Puerto Rico’s
A debt-ridden government, with an economy struggling under austerity and years of decline, has revealed that it won’t be able to pay its debt, sending…
THE UN-CANDIDATE
Watch: Elizabeth Warren is “mad as hell” about big money in US politics
Massachusetts senator Elizabeth Warren attended Re/code’s 2015 Code Conference on May 26, where she let loose a passionate indictment of the state of affairs in…
PASS THE PARCEL
Private equity firms are finally dumping the deals they did before the financial crisis
The private equity business model is pretty simple. First, convince some wealthy people and institutions that you’re so smart that you deserve their money. Then,…
MAPPED
Racial segregation made minority neighborhoods even stronger magnets for pre-crisis subprime loans
In the run-up to the 2008 financial crisis, putting America’s black and Hispanic borrowers into dicey subprime loans was like shooting fish in a barrel—and…
NOT THE ECB
Guess who holds even more US debt than China or Japan
Two of America’s largest creditors, Japan and China, are about to switch places. Over the last few months, China has been slowly cutting back on…
I.O.U.S.A.
The US government holds more than $875 billion in student loan debt
This post has been corrected. Americans are taking on new debt at a strong pace—7% more than last year, according to the Federal Reserve. But…
HOT WINTER
Apple is the leading the pack, franc-ly speaking
Apple sold $1.35 billion of Swiss franc-denominated debt this month, including a 10-year note paying 0.375% interest and a 15-year bond with a 0.75% coupon.…
HERE IT IS
The only story on Swedish monetary policy you ever have to read
Sweden’s Riksbank joined the central banking bizarro world today, pushing its key benchmark interest rate into negative territory. In other words, instead of paying interest…
ENOUGH MORALIZING
Let’s just admit it: Governments never really pay off their debts
Since the European debt crisis first flared in 2010, Greece has been held out as an example of the worst kind of profligate borrower. And…
