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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.

    The full episode

    2 of 3
    Is Italy's Economy Too Big to Fail, but Too Big to Bail Out?
    1. 0:00Rioting in State College, Penn after Paterno Ouster
    2. 7:41Greece Has Been Scary Enough, Now There's ItalyYou’re reading this
    3. 41:58Rick Perry in Damage Control Mode
    • https://images.ctfassets.net/2658fe8gbo8o/AvYox6VuEgcxpd20Xo9d3/769bca4fbf97bf022190f4813812c1e2/new-default.jpg?h=250

      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

    • https://images.ctfassets.net/2658fe8gbo8o/AvYox6VuEgcxpd20Xo9d3/769bca4fbf97bf022190f4813812c1e2/new-default.jpg?h=250

      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

    The full episode

    2 of 3
    Is Italy's Economy Too Big to Fail, but Too Big to Bail Out?
    1. 0:00Rioting in State College, Penn after Paterno Ouster
    2. 7:41Greece Has Been Scary Enough, Now There's ItalyYou’re reading this
    3. 41:58Rick Perry in Damage Control Mode
    Back to To the Point