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25 April 2013

Poll: Which Austerity Measures Will Be Most Likely to Affect Recovery?

Posted In: Economics

In a poll conducted earlier this week in the CFA Institute Financial NewsBrief, we asked readers, “What austerity measures likely will be most effective in achieving sovereign financial recovery?”


Poll: What austerity measures likely will be most effective in achieving sovereign financial recovery?

Poll: What austerity measures likely will be most effective in achieving sovereign financial recovery?


Fewer than 25% of 988 respondents replied, “None — austerity is doing more harm than good.” More than three-quarters of respondents believe that austerity is necessary. This view is strongly in accord with the northern European nations — including Germany, the Netherlands, Finland, and the United Kingdom — which continue to advocate for austerity in handling Europe’s economic and debt woes.

However, support for such measures is beginning to attract some notable critics, including European Commission President José Manuel Barroso and more neutral parties, such as the International Monetary Fund and Bill Gross of PIMCO, the world’s largest bond fund manager. Gross reminded Europe that to engender economic growth, it needed to spend money. I think all respondents would agree that there are no easy solutions to sovereign financial recovery.


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About the Author(s)
Jason Voss, CFA

Jason Voss, CFA, tirelessly focuses on improving the ability of investors to better serve end clients. He is the author of the Foreword Reviews Business Book of the Year Finalist, The Intuitive Investor and the CEO of Active Investment Management (AIM) Consulting. Voss also sub-contracts for the well known firm, Focus Consulting Group. Previously, he was a portfolio manager at Davis Selected Advisers, L.P., where he co-managed the Davis Appreciation and Income Fund to noteworthy returns. Voss holds a BA in economics and an MBA in finance and accounting from the University of Colorado.

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