In their communiqué, the Group of Seven industrial nations said that they expect the United States to rebound and spur the sputtering world economies yet again. There were no comments concerning the weak euro or strong dollar. In comparison with other central banks, the U.S. Federal Reserve has been the most proactive in stimulating the economy. The European Central Bank has lowered interest rates once. And Germany, France and Italy have limited scope to use fiscal policy because of tight EU government deficit requirements. Japan has a long way to go before growing again because of a staggering list of problems including soaring number of bankruptcies, deflation and falling demand both domestic and foreign. The markets will be disappointed by a less than stimulating G-7 summit.

Introduction   •   Global Stock Market Indexes   •   Recap of Global Markets   •   Currencies   •  Indicator Scoreboard

The Bottom Line   •   Looking Ahead