Default Fears Start to Shake Investors

Many in the GOP might claim that a short-term default wouldn't have any negative effects, but there are signs that the debt fight has already begun to worry markets. In a vote that was not close, the House of Representatives rejected a “clean” debt ceiling increase Tuesday night, setting the stage …

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Written by Fred Messner on Wednesday June 1, 2011

Wall Street's Getting Nervous About a Default

Who are you going to believe: the GOP Congressmen who say a short-term default won't matter or the financial professionals warning against that? “Don’t go to a butcher for back surgery.”  My Air Force veteran father used to say that.  It meant: don’t listen to folks about important matters unless …

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Written by Steve Bell on Sunday May 29, 2011

Toomey Brushes Off Debt Default Danger

Senator Pat Toomey might not want to face a default, but he also thinks it wouldn't be the end of the world. Would markets feel the same way? Senator Pat Toomey claims that he doesn’t want the US to face a default, but he is definitely interested in the arguments made by conservative op-ed …

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Written by Noah Kristula-Green on Wednesday May 18, 2011

Is Ryan Trying to Spook the Markets?

Rep. Paul Ryan's comments Tuesday on CNBC downplaying the odds of a debt deal were careless. Fortunately, this time the markets didn't take him seriously. In an appearance on CNBC Tuesday, Rep. Paul Ryan claimed that holders of US government debt would accept missing payments "for a day or two …

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Written by Andrew Pavelyev on Wednesday May 18, 2011

Stop Flirting with Debt Disaster

I always assumed that the first American political party to contemplate default as a way to achieve its political goals would be the Communist Party of the USA, not the GOP. The Wall Street Journal 's  weekend interview with famed investor Stanley Druckenmiller may have the most eyebrow-raising …

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Written by David Frum on Saturday May 14, 2011

Pakistan: Pariah State to Investors

Pakistani investors have shrugged off their government's reckless confrontation with the U.S., but foreign investors aren't so sanguine. Domestic Pakistani investors have shrugged off their government's reckless courting of confrontation with the United States. International investors are not …

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Written by David Frum on Tuesday May 10, 2011

Pakistan's Markets Not Worried About Rift With U.S.

Pakistani investors seem strangely unworried about possible consequences to their country from being caught harboring bin Laden. Pakistani investors seem strangely unworried about possible consequences to their country from being caught harboring bin Laden. Or by their government's decision to …

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Written by David Frum on Tuesday May 10, 2011