Investing in Europe

Denmark: Ground Zero For The Failure Of Negative Interest Rates In Europe

Denmark: Ground Zero For The Failure Of  Negative Interest Rates In Europe

Denmark was the first country to begin the experimentation with negative interest rates back in July of 2012. The Danish central bank applied a negative rate for deposits that banks would place with them. The objective at the time was to defend their currency against the Euro. Both Denmark and Switzerland would later resort to extreme negative interest rates in 2015 (-0.75), in an effort to stymie investors who sought their AAA rated assets. Switzerland felt compelled to eventually abandon the cap […]

Massive Migration Into Europe Has Created A Crisis

Massive Migration Into Europe Has Created A Crisis

What had began as a mainly humanitarian effort has turned into a full scale crisis. The deluge of migrants arriving into Europe from not only the war shattered countries of Iraq and Syria, but from all over the Middle East has created an untenable situation for a number of countries. Time is rapidly running out for advocates of policies that favor refugees, as the economic and political costs continue to mount. The epicenter of the fiasco is Germany. The country has become […]

A Pivotal Election For The Economy Of Spain

A Pivotal Election For The Economy Of Spain

In the run-up to the parliamentary election in Spain, it was clear that it would be the role of the new parties which would determine the direction of the country. Since a coalition government was inevitably going to be the result, it will now either move Spain to a broader consensus or if legislative majority is too narrow, even greater instability. The voters gave the Conservatives a victory, but without a mandate. The restlessness of the electorate in the pace of reforms […]

European Commission Vs. United States Multinational Corporations

European Commission Vs. United States Multinational Corporations

When multinationals from the United States were looking for places to base their corporate headquarters in Europe, they were looking for the most business advantageous countries. For years the countries of Belgium, Ireland, Luxembourg and the Netherlands in particular, offered special consideration for foreign companies known as tax rulings. These financial privileges provided legal ways to reduce and in some cases eliminate, all tax liability in the host country. This whole regime is now under attack, by central authorities and is being […]

How Terrorism Will Impact The Economy Of Europe

How Terrorism Will Impact The Economy Of Europe

The acts of terrorism in Paris could not come at a worse time for not only France, but the economy of Europe at large. The GDP (Gross Domestic Product) of the European Union (EU) only grew 0.3% in the 3rd quarter, well below what many analysts had expected. Historical low rates of interest and a huge injection of liquidity through quantitative easing, have largely failed to return the continent to growth. The scenes of carnage on the streets of the French capital […]

Germany Leads The Race In Renewable Energy

Germany Leads The Race In Renewable Energy

As a result of a unique set of circumstances, Germany the 4th ranking industrial power globally, has taken the lead in the race for renewable energy among the largest developed nations. It is estimated that the country was able to produce 27% of the domestic electrical demand in 2014 through renewables. These would include the traditional hydroelectrically,but also methane (biomass), solar and wind power. Production of these types of energy has increased 300% in Germany during the last decade alone and has […]

A Migration Crisis Will Fracture The European Union

A Migration Crisis Will Fracture The European Union

Europe barely survived the debt crisis and the near sovereign default in Greece when the next issue has now been thrust upon central authorities. The deluge of refugees arriving from the Middle East and North Africa is threatening to undo what has taken a generation or two to achieve. Analysts are already questioning if European Union institutions are sturdy enough to confront what is proving to be the largest movement of people in Europe, since the Balkan crisis in the 1990’s. There […]

The Refugee Crisis In Europe: The Price For A Failed Foreign Policy

The Refugee Crisis In Europe: The Price For A Failed Foreign Policy

One only has to observe the chaos occurring in Southern and Southeastern Europe to understand the something has gone seriously wrong. Hundreds of thousands of refugees began migrating from the Middle East and North Africa this summer in numbers unseen in Europe since the end of the 1940’s. The citizens of Europe are now discovering the price that will be paid, as a result of the failure of their governments in the conduct of foreign policy over the last few years. The […]

Russia Moves To Expand War In Europe

Russia Moves To Expand War In Europe

Although the war in eastern Ukraine has been simmering for months, the escalation in violence is continuing as summer turns into fall. There has been a false sense of complacency in the West, that the situation on the ground has been frozen and that the danger of a major war has been mostly averted. Nothing could be further from the truth. President Vladimir Putin from Russia knows his window of opportunity is closing and that he must move forward, to achieve his […]

The Ongoing Crisis In Europe: Will The Euro Survive?

The Ongoing Crisis In Europe: Will The Euro Survive?

In some ways the biggest problem with the European Economic Community (EEC) is the common currency known as the Euro. Although it is a global medium of exchange and presides over the largest economic zone in the world, there have been ongoing difficulties since its adoption in 1999. Only 19 out of 28 members of the EEC have adopted the Euro as their national currency. There are some analysts who consider that there might be too many countries in the Euro-zone. The […]