Europe, Global Economy | featured news

European officials have rejected key recommendations from the United States and the International Monetary Fund, casting doubt on whether an emerging plan to address the region’s financial crisis will be as broad or fast acting as hoped.

The leaders of Germany and France, the eurozone's two biggest economies, say they have reached agreement on strengthening Europe's shaky banking sector.

World stocks hit a 15-month low on Tuesday and the dollar rose to a nine-month peak as fears over a major banking crisis in Europe mounted.

Stocks began the final quarter of 2011 on Monday the same way they ended the last one, falling amid pessimism over Europe's efforts to contain its sovereign debt problems and fears that a wider economic slowdown ...

Greece will miss a deficit target set just months ago in a massive bailout package, according to government draft budget figures released on Sunday, showing that drastic steps taken to avert bankruptcy may not be enough.

Policymakers have lost control of the economic crisis and financial markets are forcing the world into a depression, George Soros said on Friday, urging Europe to create a common Treasury, recapitalize its banks and protect vulnerable states.

Europe is caught in an economic pincer: slow-growth assaults from one side; fickle financial markets from the other. One obvious way out — the China option — seems barred by geopolitics. There is precedent. Historians blame the Great Depression’s severity in part on poor international cooperation. Economist Charles Kindleberger found a vacuum of power: Great Britain, the old economic leader, could no longer lead alone; and the United States — a replacement — wasn’t ready to help. Is there a parallel today between the United States and China? Are we repeating the mistakes of the 1930s? Unsettling questions.

Portugal's prime minister said the economy is expected to shrink 2.3% next year, worse than expected, as global growth slows.

The United States and China piled pressure on Europe on Saturday to get to grips with its debt crisis before it risks causing bank runs and pushing the global economy into ruinous recession.

The International Monetary Fund is sharply downgrading its outlook for the U.S. economy through 2012 because of weak growth and concern that Europe won't be able to solve its debt crisis.