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Back to To the Point

To the Point

Greece Has Been Scary Enough, Now There's Italy

When it comes to the troubled economies of the Eurozone, "contagion" is what economists, bankers, traders and political leaders fear most. Now the focus has shifted from Greece to Italy. Greece now has a unity government led by a banking technocrat pledged to avoid bankruptcy, however unpopular austerity measures might be.

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By Warren Olney • May 12, 2014 • 1 min read

When it comes to the troubled economies of the Eurozone, "contagion" is what economists, bankers, traders and political leaders fear most. Now the focus has shifted from Greece to Italy. Greece now has a unity government led by a banking technocrat pledged to avoid bankruptcy, however unpopular austerity measures might be. Italy has an economy almost triple the size of Greece, Portugal and Ireland combined, with a massive debt it might not be able to pay. Its shaky economy is the creature of Prime Minister Berlusconi, one of the world's most colorful leaders. Will he really get out of the way? We get a taste of Italian politics today and hear what a national bankruptcy would mean for world markets and American banks.

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    Warren Olney

    former KCRW broadcaster

  • Sonya Geis with wavy brown hair wearing a black dress with red accents and decorative earrings against a white background.

    Sonya Geis

    Senior Managing Editor

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    Caitlin Shamberg

    KCRW

  • KCRW placeholder

    Katie Cooper

    Producer, 'One year Later'

  • KCRW placeholder

    Rachel Donadio

    Paris-based journalist, contributing writer for The Atlantic

  • KCRW placeholder

    Beppe Severgnini

    Corriere della Sera

  • KCRW placeholder

    Daniel Gros

    Centre for European Policy Studies

    NewsNationalPolitics
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