Stephen Roach: Surprise, America Quite Vulnerable to Europe
Economist Stephen Roach thoroughly debunks the myth that the U.S. is poised to ride out the current phase of the Global Financial Trainwreck.
The GuardianThe great American economic mirage
In September 1998, during the depths of the Asian financial crisis, Alan Greenspan, the US Federal Reserve's chairman at the time, had a simple message: the US is not an oasis of prosperity in an otherwise struggling world. Greenspan's point is even closer to the mark today than it was back then.
Yes, the US economy has been on a weak recovery trajectory over the past three years. But at least it's a recovery, claim many - and therefore a source of ongoing resilience in an otherwise struggling developed world. Unlike the Great Recession of 2008-2009, there is widespread hope that America has the capacity to stay the course and provide a backstop for the rest of the world in the midst of the euro crisis.
Think again. Since the first quarter of 2009, when the US economy was bottoming out after its worst postwar recession, exports have accounted for fully 41% of the subsequent rebound. That's right: with the American consumer on ice in the aftermath of the biggest consumption binge in history, the US economy has drawn its sustenance disproportionately from foreign markets. With those markets now in trouble, the US could be quick to follow.
Three regions have collectively accounted for 83% of America's export-led growth impetus over the past three years - Asia, Latin America, and Europe. (Since regional and country trade statistics assembled by the US department of commerce are not seasonally adjusted, all subsequent comparisons are presented on the basis of a comparable seasonal comparison from the first quarter of 2009 to the first quarter of 2012.)...
The GuardianThe great American economic mirage
In September 1998, during the depths of the Asian financial crisis, Alan Greenspan, the US Federal Reserve's chairman at the time, had a simple message: the US is not an oasis of prosperity in an otherwise struggling world. Greenspan's point is even closer to the mark today than it was back then.
Yes, the US economy has been on a weak recovery trajectory over the past three years. But at least it's a recovery, claim many - and therefore a source of ongoing resilience in an otherwise struggling developed world. Unlike the Great Recession of 2008-2009, there is widespread hope that America has the capacity to stay the course and provide a backstop for the rest of the world in the midst of the euro crisis.
Think again. Since the first quarter of 2009, when the US economy was bottoming out after its worst postwar recession, exports have accounted for fully 41% of the subsequent rebound. That's right: with the American consumer on ice in the aftermath of the biggest consumption binge in history, the US economy has drawn its sustenance disproportionately from foreign markets. With those markets now in trouble, the US could be quick to follow.
Three regions have collectively accounted for 83% of America's export-led growth impetus over the past three years - Asia, Latin America, and Europe. (Since regional and country trade statistics assembled by the US department of commerce are not seasonally adjusted, all subsequent comparisons are presented on the basis of a comparable seasonal comparison from the first quarter of 2009 to the first quarter of 2012.)...