Here’s a Quickie Checklist of Global Economic Worries

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Just to keep everyone up to speed, here’s a checklist of the big things that are currently worrying investors about the global economy:

  • A possible Greek exit from the euro—aka “Grexit”—following elections later this month. On the bright side, there’s not much fear any longer that this might produce contagion that blows up larger economies like Italy and Portugal. On the dark side, that lack of fear might very well be a mistake. Panic was still contagious the last time I checked.
  • Recession and a deflationary spiral in the eurozone. Germany, which pretty much runs the show in Europe, is still doing its damnedest to prevent the European economy from showing any signs of life, which means that stagnation there could last a long time.
  • A slowdown in China, possibly accompanied by a property bust.
  • Problems in emerging economies with lots of dollar-denominated debts thanks to the continuing strong dollar.

All of this combines to make investors worried about the US as well. The American economy is a bright spot right now, but it can’t drive the world economy all by itself. If everyone else goes kablooey, then the US economy will eventually suffer as well, and this could cause the global economy to go even further into recession.

So….those are the things you’ll probably be reading a lot about over the next few weeks and months. Now you know.

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WE'LL BE BLUNT

It is astonishingly hard keeping a newsroom afloat these days, and we need to raise $253,000 in online donations quickly, by October 7.

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Readers also told us to just give it to you straight when we need to ask for your support, and seeing how matter-of-factly explaining our inner workings, our challenges and finances, can bring more of you in has been a real silver lining. So our online membership lead, Brian, lays it all out for you in his personal, insider account (that literally puts his skin in the game!) of how urgent things are right now.

The upshot: Being able to rally $253,000 in donations over these next few weeks is vitally important simply because it is the number that keeps us right on track, helping make sure we don't end up with a bigger gap than can be filled again, helping us avoid any significant (and knowable) cash-flow crunches for now. We used to be more nonchalant about coming up short this time of year, thinking we can make it by the time June rolls around. Not anymore.

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