SJS4 - "Under threat; The euro-zone economy"

Source: "Under threat; The euro-zone economy." The Economist 24 Oct. 2015: 72(US). Student Resources in Context. Web. 29 Oct. 2015.

Author Credentials: This article does not have a stated author or editor. The Economist is a well-known and highly regarded publication. It's journals have been continuously published since 1843. The Economist's editor in chief is Zanny Minton Beddoes. Beddoes received an undergraduate degree at Oxford University, where she studied Philosophy, Politics, and Economics. She earned a master's degree at Harvard University, as a Kennedy Scholar.


Summary: In this article, the author argues that the euro-zone economy is suffering and is projected to continue with very low inflation rates even though it has seemed to be doing slightly better. The euro has been suffering for about the past five years due to a combination of economic, financial and political ailments, making it the main source of fragility in the global economy. Recently, however, the euro zone has seemed to be doing increasingly better.  The euro zone's output grew at an average rate of 0.4% a quarter between late 2014 and mid-2015. This recovery was initially led by Germany but has recently benefited from strong growth in Spain, Italy, and France. However, the overall pace of recovery in the euro area remains disappointing given the strong stimulus it has been receiving. The ECB's goal is to get inflation back to its objective of nearly 2%.  After a few months of very low inflation, the euro experienced deflation again in September. Since the major drop in energy prices last year among other negative factors, the inflation is projected to stay very low.

Analysis: I feel that the author strongly supported his/her thesis that the euro-zone economy is doing poorly. However, I feel that he/she could have used more direct reasons to support why the euro is doing poorly. Also, I feel the author did a nice job of including a contradiction by saying that the euro-zone economy has been doing slightly better, but then refutes this contradiction by saying that the increase is very minor. I feel that this article was a reliable source because it presented opposing viewpoints but still used facts to support its main point that the euro is suffering.