Government debt

An anti-government protester hits by a tear gas canister during a protest march in Hong Kong, China, on Oct. 20, 2019.

Global protests gaining attention in financial markets

Forced fiscal loosening in a world already swamped with debt and heading into another downturn may unnerve creditors and bond holders, especially those holding government debt as an insurance against recession and a haven from volatility.

Republican vice-presidential candidate U.S. Congressman Paul Ryan speaking in front of the campaign's "national debt clock" in Dover, New Hampshire September 18, 2012. 

US debt is eclipsing the rest of the world. So, where have the deficit hawks gone?

The World

Cities, Municipal Bonds and a Potential for Disaster

The World

Commission considers how to reduce burgeoning national debt

China's Vice Finance Minister, Zhu Guangyao, at the G20 Summit in St. Petersburg, Russia, last month. Zhu is warning the US to get its fiscal house in order.

China and Japan join the international chorus complaining about US fiscal chaos

Europe gets behind unified plan to try to solve Euro crisis

With the European Union agreeing to a plan to bolster the EuroZone and hopefully avoid massive economic meltdown, question turns to what does this deal really mean?

China could bail out Europe, with strings attached

As Europe searches for a way out of the current financial crisis, some are looking to China. But any deal would come with strings attached.

The National Debt

The U.S. national debt is now well above 9 trillion dollars — Andrew Yarrow thinks this is not just bad economic policy, but also a moral issue.

We’ve Run Up the National Debt Before – But It’s Different This Time

The United States was born into debt. The long, expensive Revolutionary War devastated the infant nation’s finances, and forced the United States to grapple with a primary public policy issue: How should debt and taxes be handled in the brave, new world of America? Today, as the United States teeters on the edge of the […]

Greece Averts Immediate Default with Agreement

Almost all of Greece’s private creditors have agreed to accept a loss on their investments, leaving their holdings of government debt almost 75 percent less. This new agreement will save the country around 100 million dollars and averts immediate default for the country. Mark Lowen is a reporter for our partner the BBC. The agreement […]