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Europe Has A Crisis — And It's Much Bigger Than Cyprus
In a way, Europe should be thrilled by the week that was because financial markets barely batted an eye at the crisis in Cyprus.
But Europe has a problem on its hands that's bigger than Cyprus: The economy stinks.
This week we got fresh proof that things are bad or getting worse.
In France, the Flash PMI report (which is a mid-month look at the combined services and manufacturing sectors of the economy) came in dismal, with the output index falling to a four-year low.
Meanwhile, Germany's economy is the envy of Europe, but even they are not immune to trouble.
You can see its Flash PMI jutted lower this week as well.
Meanwhile, the horror show in Italy and Spain continues unabated.
This week, Danske Bank economist Frank Øland Hansen warned that France was beginning to look more like a peripheral country than a core one.
Not only is the economy sinking, but from a labor cost/competitiveness standpoint, it's looking PIIGSish.
Not only is the European economy a mess, and the second biggest country looking more and more peripheral, there isn't much action being taken to address any of it.
Cyprus hasn't made a dent in markets, and it might not. On the other hand, all of the above is a crisis.
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