click for ginormous graphic
via Mint
Category: Analysts, Credit, Digital Media
Please use the comments to demonstrate your own ignorance, unfamiliarity with empirical data and lack of respect for scientific knowledge. Be sure to create straw men and argue against things I have neither said nor implied. If you could repeat previously discredited memes or steer the conversation into irrelevant, off topic discussions, it would be appreciated. Lastly, kindly forgo all civility in your discourse . . . you are, after all, anonymous.
I don’t mind saying it, because I’m sure some others are thinking it: the US might have a god-awful amount of debt, but there is no way that the US bond situation is less stable than a few of the other mortals on that list. Russia? India? What have they proven in the past 20 years that makes anyone think that their debt is more sustainable, no matter the relative amount? Italy? Sounds like some political posturing by the S&P in my mind. And they are a US firm, correct?
The diagram is very interesting but Canada has been mysteriously assigned to the eastern US. Sorry to be a prat.
Not to pick a nit here, but isn’t this the same ratings agency that gave AAA ratings to subprime mortgage SIVs?
Pretty picture, though.
while the US has the largest debt (in total), it also has the largest economy. it might also be good to compare debt to economy size. it would make the numbers more comparable. now if we compared the private debt (non government) to economy size we might see a really horrifying picture. thats much worse. as just the financial sectors debt is bigger than the world’s GDP
Edward Tufte, the graphics guru profiled in a Washington Monthly article posted at TBP a couple of days ago, doubtless would blast this dogs-breakfast graphic as a ‘chartoon.’
The ‘casino tokens’ displayed at top and bottom need to be shrunk, simplified, and placed within the borders of countries.
As it is, this is just a poorly-organized listing of sovereign ratings, with a map to show the geographically challenged where the countries are located.
D-minus for this chartjunk.
Once it became public you could essentially buy their ratings, they lost credibility. Yet, even though the data can’t be trusted – the chart is still pretty – so kudos to the folks at Mint.
Canada’s debt exceeds their GDP? Seriously? Why do I always get this “Canada and Canadians are so much better with their money” line from the Canadians I work with?