Former taoiseach Brian Cowen “already had a preference” for a “broad” bank guarantee before the infamous September 29, 2008, meeting which led to the multi-billion euro deal — and overruled then finance minister Brian Lenihan’s concerns.

The US usually stays out of European monetary affairs, so why has the president decided to weigh in on Greece’s stance on austerity, writes Ashoka Mody.

In his excellent memoir, Stress Test, Timothy Geithner, the former Secretary of the US Treasury, had a lot to say about housing that resonates strongly in an Irish context, writes Jim Power.

US President Obama's top economic advisor during the financial crisis Timothy Geithner has said Ireland was "stupid" to guarantee the banks.

The former US Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner’s recently published memoir, Stress Tests is deeply uncomfortable reading for anybody even remotely interested in the fortunes of the eurozone.

Over the next month, two of President Barack Obama’s closest first-term advisers will spill insider details on the administration’s handling of the early days of the Great Recession, the White House’s cautious response to the Syrian civil war and the genesis of clandestine talks with Iran.

NO, says Dr Seán Healy

The Taoiseach and sections of the media may want to pull the wool over people’s eyes, but in reality, Obama is no friend of the Irish people, writes Clare Daly

US president Barack Obama cut short his holiday and returned to Washington yesterday as a senior Democrat warned that the US appeared to be heading over the year-end fiscal cliff of higher taxes and deep spending cuts.

President Barack Obama was cutting short his holiday and returning to Washington today as a senior Democrat warned that the US appeared to be heading over the year-end “fiscal cliff” of higher taxes and deep spending cuts that could spin the still-fragile economy back into a recession.

President Barack Obama and members of Congress prepared for one last try to avert across-the-board tax increases and spending cuts known as the fiscal cliff, as the US Treasury Department warned that it will begin taking action to prevent the government from hitting its debt limit.

President Barack Obama and Republicans crept closer to talks on avoiding a recession-threatening package of automatic tax increases and spending cuts, but the White House insisted it would not budge on higher taxes on the wealthy.

A congressional advisory panel is urging tighter screening of investment by Chinese state-owned companies in the United States, saying they present unfair competition to American firms.

US president Barack Obama will make his first comments on the economy and the financial crisis today as the White House makes the issue its top post-election priority.

When the United States wants to talk to Europe about the eurozone debt crisis, what number does it dial?

Finance ministers and central bank governors from the world’s leading economies met in Mexico on Sunday amid growing fears over the global impact of Europe’s debt crisis and the stalemate over a fiscal plan in the US.

The IMF yesterday backed giving Greece and Spain more time to reduce their budget deficits, cautioning that cutting too far, too fast would do more harm than good.

US Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner today said financial reforms and other measures in response to the global crisis are yielding results, helping the American economy to grow at a pace better than there was reason to expect.

The US has raised pressure on eurozone leaders to take decisive action to solve the debt crisis, by lowering troubled members’ borrowing costs, before a crucial European Central Bank meeting.

Ireland had the fifth highest unemployment rate in the eurozone, as of the end of June, according to latest data from Eurostat, the EU’s statistical division.

European Central Bank president Mario Draghi must back up his pledge to do what it takes to protect the euro when the bank’s policymakers meet on Thursday or else face deep disappointment from investors hungry for — and expecting — immediate action.

Bank of England boss Mervyn King told MPs he was not to blame for failing to spot the rate-rigging scandal engulfing the industry amid mounting accusations over the central bank’s role..

Barclays was in a “state of denial” over regulatory concerns with the bank following its rate-rigging scandal, Bank of England governor Mervyn King told MPs today.

Spain ate humble pie and became the fourth and largest country to ask Europe to rescue its failing banks.

Syrian activists reported a surge of bloodshed in the central Hama province, with at least 23 people killed - and possibly many more.

David Cameron will today join other world leaders in talks set to be dominated by the deepening crisis over the eurozone.

The International Monetary Fund, armed with a replenished arsenal containing billions of dollars to battle Europe’s lingering debt crisis, now must press governments in the eurozone to carry out bold changes to reassure nervous financial markets and avert sending the crisis into a more dangerous phase.

THE 2012 foreign investment harvest is starting to look pretty good.

French Finance Minister Francois Baroin has said EU ministers have everything they need to approve a second financial rescue package for Greece.

Timothy Geithner said he will not serve President Barack Obama as Treasury Secretary in a second term.

Taoiseach Enda Kenny heads to Davos in Switzerland today to attend the World Economic Forum, the annual gathering of political and business leaders.

European stock markets have closed with mixed results this evening, as the US Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner visits the Eurozone ahead of the Summit of EU Leaders this Friday.

Greece’s incoming prime minister is to name his Cabinet today, a day after being appointed to head an interim coalition government which will push through a new European debt deal and secure continued bailout funding to prevent a catastrophic default.

US President Barack Obama says the financial crisis rippling through Europe is “scaring the world” and that steps taken by European nations to stem the eurozone debt problem “haven’t been as quick as they need to be.”

EUROPEAN policymakers criticised for failing to stem the eurozone debt crisis, face the tough task of stopping fallout from Greece’s near-bankruptcy from spreading into the world economy.

The world’s major economic powers are pledging to launch a bold effort to deal with a chronic slowdown in growth and a European debt crisis that are threatening to push the global economy into another recession.

SEVEN world leaders yesterday demanded Europe act more decisively to quell its debt crisis as a European Central Bank study warned that the entire euro currency project was now in peril.

Greek media reports say the prime minister has cancelled his trip to the United States because of the gravity of his country’s financial crisis.

US SUGGESTIONS for a bigger EU rescue fund met with an ill-tempered response from European finance ministers yesterday.

The United States has urged Europe to end potentially "catastrophic" in-fighting that is delaying a new rescue plan for Greece.

US Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner has created waves at a meeting of EU Finance Ministers by urging them to leverage the EU bailout fund to better tackle the debt crisis.

The Tánaiste Eamon Gilmore is refusing to say what plans are in place for the Irish economy in the event of a Greek debt default.

European Finance Ministers will meet in Poland today to discuss the eurozone crisis.

GROWTH has stalled, the recovery evident earlier this year has halted and the risks for the future are high, the EU warned in its half-year review.