Asia is weaker, Europe is moribund and the BRIC nations are much, much weaker than a year ago. Global sovereign debt is, if anything, more out of control than ever, expecially in the US, Europe and Japan. The perennial optimist Larry Kudlow pointed out that a mere 12 1/2 percent of American exports go to Europe. True. But, 30 percent of corporate profits of US corporations are generated outside of the US. A weaker world means weaker corporate profits. Earnings announcement this quarter featured gloomy guidance for the future, confirming the weaker outlook.
In almost every case, government is strangling economic growth -- in the US, in Europe, and across the globe. Capitalism had a renaissance in the 1980s and 1990s, but the 2008 financial crisis destroyed the consensus that promoted capitalism and has led to strangling government intervention pretty much across the globe. The world is now paying the price for that strangling government intervention.
As is always the case, stagnant economic growth hits the poorest among us the hardest. In the US, the poor, the minorities are losing ground. This feeds the "inequality" battle cry, that only serves to make matters worse. Only the rich and protected prosper when government becomes more active. We can see that now in the US and in Europe. While breathing heavily about their support of the middle class, the big government advocates have put in place policies that protect their own privileged status and reduce the economic opportunities of the poor and the middle class.
The stagnant economic climate will only grow worse as long as growth in the power of government continues apace.
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