BBC News – World Bank president: ‘One shock away from crisis’

Glad they understand the real world problem.

The problem is their policy recommendations that cause these conditions in the first place.

And now they are asking G20 nations who they’ve led to believe they are on the brink of becoming the next Greece to pledge financial support.

World Bank president: ‘One shock away from crisis’

April 17 (BBC) — The president of the World Bank has warned that the world is “one shock away from a full-blown crisis”.

Robert Zoellick cited rising food prices as the main threat to poor nations who risk “losing a generation”.

He was speaking in Washington at the end of the spring meetings of the World Bank and International Monetary Fund.

Meanwhile, G20 finance chiefs, who also met in Washington, pledged financial support to help new governments in the Middle East and North Africa.

Mr Zoellick said such support was vital.

“The crisis in the Middle East and North Africa underscores how we need to put the conclusions from our latest world development report into practice. The report highlighted the importance of citizen security, justice and jobs,” he said.

He also called for the World Bank to act quickly to support reforms in the region.

“Waiting for the situation to stabilise will mean lost opportunities. In revolutionary moments the status quo is not a winning hand.”

At the Washington meetings, turmoil in the Middle East, volatile oil prices and high unemployment were also discussed.

IMF chief Dominique Strauss-Kahn raised particular concerns about high levels of unemployment among young people.

“It’s probably too much to say that it’s a jobless recovery, but it’s certainly a recovery with not enough jobs,” he said.

“Especially because of youth unemployment… there is now a risk that this will be turned into a life sentence, and that there is a possibility of a lost generation,” he said.

Inflation in China

What I see is more evidence of an inflation problem in China that they are now trying to blame on something other than themselves to prevent the historical regime change from inflations of the past.

The problem is, of course, the don’t fundamentally understand how a currency works, which reduces the odds of being able to reverse their inflation without a recession.

Beijing’s Focus on Food Prices Ignores Broader Inflation Risk

By Keith Bradsher

November 17 (NYT) — Zhou Xiaochuan, the governor of the central bank, had said earlier on Tuesday that the amount of money racing through the global economy was putting pressure on emerging economies that want to control inflation. And Yao Jian, a commerce ministry spokesman, said at a press conference on Tuesday that the government would tighten scrutiny of foreign investment so as to prevent too much money from pouring into China as foreign investors seek higher returns than are currently available in the West.

Imposing price controls and other administrative controls on the Chinese economy runs counter to the steps recommended by many Western experts. They have suggested that China should further deregulate its economy, let the renminbi appreciate and otherwise rely on market forces to tame inflation.

Reuters: Food price supports


[Skip to the end]

more inflation.

Prices are up due to short supplies due to biofuels and weather.

And the political response is handing out funds to those in need, even though that doesn’t create more to eat.

As previously discussed, governments have no choice but to step on the inflation pedal.

Whether it be for food support payments or financial sector support.

That’s how ‘democracy’ works.

(And democracy is way better than the second choice!)

World Bank’s Zoellick: Food prices high until 2012

by Alexandra Hudson

World Bank President Robert Zoellick said on Saturday he expected food prices to remain above 2004 levels until at least 2012 and energy prices would also remain high and volatile.

He repeated that with food and fuel prices in a “danger zone” there was a need for $10 billion to provide food and cash handouts for the world’s poorest.

Soaring oil and food prices have fueled inflation across the globe at the same time as economies slow, posing a sharp dilemma for lawmakers.


[top]