Tea Party

Is US the next Japan? Why the Tea Party is better than Obama

If the US is not to meet the fate of Japan - stagnation and no growth - it will have to abandon its money-fuelling policy and Keynesian predilections and opt for supply side economics.

Gold may glitter, but being tied to it would be ruinous

The chatter of voices clamouring for a return to the gold standard is becoming louder. Yet, for all the flaws of today's ultra-loose monetary policy, a gold-based currency system is fraught with many perils.

Sorry Mr Buffett, it's you who has got it wrong, not S&P

Does a country whose debt is as big as its GDP deserve a Quadruple A rating? This is what Warren Buffett, doyen of investors, wants us to believe.

Political gridlock could see US rating lowered again: S&P

The S&P chastised American politicians for political bickering when it lowered the US credit rating. Ironically, this has set off yet another round of partisan finger-pointing.

Inflationary Angst

food and gasoline prices are rising, owing to emerging markets' ongoing boom, while house prices continue to plummet. It is when we worry about relative prices that we get most angry about monetary policy - and when central banks seem to offer no answer

PM Modi hosts tea party for new ministers ahead of cabinet reshuffle

Ahead of the Cabinet expansion and reshuffle of the Union Council of Ministers, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday hosted a breakfast meet.

Obama's Manmohan moment: Newly-elected Republican Congress leaves him powerless

For Obama, who has grown resentful of his diminished political standing, the prospect of reaching accords with a Republican-led Congress is a consolation prize that could help salvage his flailing second term.

Washington back at work, as lawmakers launch budget talks

US lawmakers launched an effort to resolve budget differences in a less confrontational fashion on Thursday as Washington picked up the pieces from a political crisis that has slowed the economy and undermined the country's international standing.

Why US conservatives are gunning for Gingrich

The Republican Party and American conservative media have taken a pause from attacking President Barack Obama to focus their fire on one of their own: Newt Gingrich. We explain why the in-fighting is happening and why it matters.

How the Occupy Wall Street protesters empowered what they are protesting

Occupy Wall Street protesters deserve credit for drawing a global spotlight to a cabal of financial scamsters and rightwing politicians and theTea Party. The irony is that the cabal was empowered by the very people who are now denouncing it.