Global Economy

Budget Battles

  • Senator Ben Cardin (D-MD) arrives at Democratic Party caucus meeting on Capitol Hill in Washington, U.S., January 19, 2018. REUTERS/Yuri Gripas/ File Photo

    Factbox: What happens in a U.S. government shutdown?

    By Richard Cowan and Susan Cornwell and Amanda Becker and Richard Cowan and Susan Cornwell and Amanda Becker, Reuters

    In shutdowns, nonessential government employees are furloughed, or placed on temporary unpaid leave. Workers deemed essential, including those dealing with public safety and national security, keep...

  • FILE PHOTO: Senator John Barrasso (R-WY) speaks during a press conference on Capitol Hill in Washington, U.S., September 12, 2017. REUTERS/Joshua Roberts

    No Talk of Ousting Speaker Ryan, Key Conservative Says

    By Reuters

    Many Republicans are unhappy with the deal President Donald Trump reached last week with Democratic leaders to raise the government's debt ceiling and allow it to continue financing federal spending...

  • Venezuela's President Nicolas Maduro waves during a pro-government rally with workers of state-run oil company PDVSA, in Barcelona

    The Crisis in Venezuela Could Send Oil Prices Soaring

    By Nick Cunningham, Oilprice.com

    Venezuela’s deteriorating crisis is “going to be the biggest geopolitical story to watch in the oil markets," according to Helima Croft of RBC Capital Markets. The economic, political and security...

  • FILE PHOTO: Arellano, deputy of the Venezuelan coalition of opposition parties (MUD), clashes with national guards during a rally against Venezuela's President Nicolas Maduro's government in Caracas

    The Risk That Could Drive Oil Prices Higher in a Hurry

    By Nick Cunningham, Oilprice.com

    The latest rally in oil prices ran up against a wall yet again, and the same fears about oversupply have not receded in the slightest. The expectation from most oil analysts is that there is very...

  • Emmanuel Macron, head of the political movement 'En Marche!', or 'Onwards!', and candidate for the 2017 presidential election, delivers a speech as he attends a meeting for Women's day in Paris, France

    France Just Made a Big Move Toward a Green Energy Future

    By Bate Felix and Simon Carraud, Reuters

    France aims to end the sale of gasoline and diesel vehicles by 2040 and become carbon neutral 10 years later, Ecology Minister Nicolas Hulot said on Thursday at a presentation of measures to keep up...

  • A Greek national flag and a European Union flag flutter under storm clouds in Athens May 28, 2015. REUTERS/Alkis Konstantinidis

    Love Greek Olives? Stock Up as Greek Exports Slow to a Trickle

    By Heesun Wee, CNBC

    American businesses with exposure to Greece are preparing for the worst, after Greek voters on Sunday rejected more cost-cutting measures and an international bailout deal from European leaders. In...

  • A pump jack is seen at sunrise near Bakersfield, California October 14, 2014. REUTERS/Lucy Nicholson

    Greece and Iran Are Taking Oil Prices for a Ride

    By Charles Kennedy, Oilprice.com

    Oil prices plunged on July 6 in the aftermath of the Greek referendum, which saw the Greek people hand Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras an overwhelming victory after they decisively rejected Europe’s...

  • 3 Reasons to Stick with Your International Investments

    By Beth Braverman

    If you’ve had a portion of your portfolio invested in international markets, you have probably enjoyed a nice ride for the first half of this year, even after adjusting for the currency effects of...

  • FILE PHOTO - Tourists stand under a Greek national flag atop the Acropolis hill in Athens, June 14, 2015. REUTERS/Kostas Tsironis

    At the Crossroads: Inside the Failed Greek Debt Negotiations

    By Renee Maltezou and Elizabeth Pineau and Andreas Rinke, Reuters

    It was a small room with a plain wooden table a few feet wide. The Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras sat on one side, along with a translator and Angela Merkel, the German chancellor. On the other...

  • Pensioners waiting outside a closed National Bank branch and hoping to get their pensions, argue with a bank employee in Iraklio on the island of Crete

    Why Greece Should Move Quickly on Required Reforms

    By Mickey Levy, The Fiscal Times

    In the most recent debt service negotiations between Greece and its creditors, the media and financial coverage have focused too little on Greece’s potential economic growth and have overstated the...