Cinco Tendências Econômicas para 2012

By Sudeep Reddy
Blog Real Time Economics
Economic insight and analysis from The Wall Street Journal, December 30, 2011


The Council on Foreign Relations polled economists to identify five trends to watch in the coming year. They all fall under the increasingly common theme of “uncertainty,” and most of them touch on U.S. or euro-zone policies. Brief excerpts of their conclusions, which you can read in full here:

U.S. political polarization: “The increasing partisan and ideological division between the two parties constitutes the single most important influence on future economic policymaking. … We face the possibility that a political impasse will leave the government without a budget for essential federal functions and without the borrowing capacity to fund normal operations.” – Gary Burtless, Brookings Institution

Global volatility: “The main trend in 2012 is volatility, with the preponderance of extreme macroeconomic risk on the downside. It is a two-scenarios environment with roughly equal weight, with the center of global risk located in Europe. … Virtually all of the risk stems from uncertainty about bold policy action and coordination within and among advanced countries. As the probabilities attached to political gridlock shift, expectations about market and economic trajectories will move with them.” – Michael Spence, Council on Foreign Relations

China’s rise under stress: “History will note that 2012 marked China’s shift to a slower growth trajectory and the anointment of its ‘fifth generation’ of leaders. This comes at a time when the country faces formidable internal and external challenges. … With weak financial institutions and its infrastructure-led growth model under attack, [China] may not have all the tools to achieve its goals.” – Yukon Huang, Carnegie Endowment for International Peace

Shortage of AAA assets: “Unlike the Internet bubble, the household and sovereign credit boom was fueled less by dreams of fabulous growth than by the promise of safety. Financial engineering was supposed to turn risky mortgages into safe-as-houses, AAA-rated bonds; similarly, the euro was supposed to turn previously irresponsible countries into paragons of German fiscal discipline. With those illusions shattered, 2012 will witness a widening gap between the preferences of savers and the needs of borrowers.” – NYU’s Thomas Philippon and Morgan Stanley’s Ashley Lester

New appetite for risk: “The new trend to look for in the euro area in 2012 will manifest itself in financial markets rather than in the political realm. At some point, the economic fundamentals of the euro area–as well as the messy [policy responses of] its governments –will have ensured that market fears surrounding, for instance, Italian government debt will be surpassed by the greed of yield-hungry investors.” – Jacob Kirkegaard, Peterson Institute for International Economics