The fish that can save Japan’s economy

Cyprus is zeroing in on a solution to avoid getting ejected from the EMU. It's simple. Since taxing everyone's account by a few percent didn't work, it's time to raid all the larger accounts.

Charlie Fell submits:The second phase of the financial upheaval that began during the autumn of 2007 got underway during the current calendar year. History illustrates that banking crises are typically followed by sovereign debt crises and the current episode has proven to be no exception. The global financial crisis precipitated brutal private sector deleveraging, which required massive fiscal stimulus to support aggregate demand and side-step a 1930s-style meltdown.

By David Beckworth: The latest initiative to save the Eurozone is the "Geithner Plan." It would have the Eurozone leverage up the EU's €440 billion bailout fund to €1 trillion by making it

By Peter Boone and Simon Johnson

David Beckworth submits: In my previous post I argued the ECB could help the Eurozone not just by refraining from interest rate hikes, but by easing monetary policy. I said doing so would lead to a real appreciation in the core economies of Germany and France and a much needed real depreciation in the periphery.

The basic laws of economics are threatening to pull the eurozone apart, just as politicians are trying to pull it together. As usual, the ECB is stuck in the middle of the mess, and it doesn't like it one bit. For two and a half years, interest rates in the big industrial economies have only gone one way - down. Central banks slashed rates to historic lows in the wake of the financial crisis and then left them there. But not any more. Now the ECB has broken ranks, with today's long-anticipated quarter point rise.

ETF Database submits: Japan’s economy has been in the spotlight for the last several weeks, as investors have attempted to determine the long-term impact of the recent natural disaster and ongoing nuclear crisis. Although the horrific disaster rocked the Japanese economy and brought up a fresh crop of issues for the nation, some are beginning to look beyond on the immediate turmoil and focus on long-term possibilities in the market. For investors seeking equity exposure, there are a handful of ETF options.