debt

High US fiscal deficits expected ahead of 2024 elections: Fitch

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Credit rating agency Fitch said Wednesday it expects US fiscal deficits to remain high this year, and that fiscal policy and governance implications of the presidential elections will be key issues for the country’s sovereign rating. Fitch last year downgraded the US government’s top credit rating to AA+ from AAA, citing fiscal deterioration and repeated down-the-wire debt ceiling negotiations. A major near-term shift … Read more

Party vote provides slight relief for Germany’s troubled coalition – POLITICO

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BERLIN — The rulers of Germany’s fractious three-party coalition government can breathe a small sigh of relief. In an internal party referendum, some 52 percent of members of the fiscally conservative Free Democratic Party (FDP) supported remaining in the ruling coalition, relieving some of the pressure on the FDP’s leadership to withdraw from the alliance … Read more

After years of turbulence, small clothing designers struggle for a sustainable model

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Amid high inflation, rising operating costs and shrinking Canadian demand, clothing designers in Nova Scotia say they’re struggling to find a sustainable business model. Designers say they’ve had to adjust to significant changes in consumer behaviour, supply chain disruptions and inflation as they’ve navigated through the COVID-19 pandemic and its aftermath. “We’ve made a lot of hard decisions. … Read more

Why Germany’s lifeless coalition won’t die – POLITICO

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Press play to listen to this article Voiced by artificial intelligence. BERLIN — German Chancellor Olaf Scholz made a simple promise to Germans after taking office: “You’ll never walk alone.”  Scholz, a Social Democrat, borrowed the phrase from Liverpool Football Club’s anthem and has invoked it, mantra-like, at moments of tension, such as when Russia … Read more

Germany and EU face a new trilemma – POLITICO

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Miguel Otero-Iglesias a senior analyst at the Elcano Royal Institute in Madrid. Faced with a choice between successfully completing the green transition, effectively achieving economic security and aiming for fiscal discipline, the European Union is confronted with a new trilemma — and it cannot accomplish all three. But while Germany — with its debt brake, … Read more

It’s not just a label for meat: halal investments target Islamic customers

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Whether it’s mutual funds, savings accounts or stock trading, millions of Canadians depend on investments for their financial future.  But for some Muslims, faith took many monetary options off the table because of religious restrictions around concepts like paying — or being paid — interest. It meant for years Canadians like Ammar Maqsud, who observes those religious tenets, couldn’t even put money in … Read more

Israelis to have insurmountable debt, Netanyahu must quit now – MK – Israel Politics

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Israel is facing an impending economic catastrophe that could burden the state with insurmountable debt for generations to come, Knesset State Control Committee chairman MK Mickey Levy (Yesh Atid) said, calling for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to immediately resign from power with our without elections. Levy criticized the prime minister for prioritizing personal survival … Read more

EU spending rules talks on verge of missing end-of-year deadline – POLITICO

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Last ditch talks between the EU’s finance ministers planned for Wednesday on an overhaul of the EU’s public spending rules look set to fall short amid continued disagreement between Germany, France and Italy, according to officials in Brussels. French Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire and his German counterpart, Christian Lindner, will face the press on … Read more