If you didn’t see this coming, you haven’t been paying attention.
From Drudge:
Lurking debt threatens cities, states…
Reality hits San Juan streets amid Puerto Rico debt woes…
Businesses shuttered…
Residents living day to day…
Investors scramble to avoid losses…
Can’t say we didn’t see it coming: From the October 26, 2013 Economist, Puerto Rico
Greece in the Caribbean
Stuck with a real debt crisis in its back yard, America can learn from Europe’s Aegean follies
Like Greece, Puerto Rico is a chronically uncompetitive place locked in a currency union with a richer, more productive neighbour. The island’s economy is also dominated by a vast, inefficient near-Athenian public sector. And, as with Greece, there are fears that a chaotic default could precipitate a far bigger crisis by driving away investors, and pushing up borrowing costs in America’s near-$4-trillion market for state and local bonds.
I have yet to find any moves by the Puerto Rican government towards structural reforms that would stimulate economic growth, reduce bureaucracy (and the accompanying red tape), and foster a business-friendly environment. Instead, the governor tells bondholders to “share the sacrifices.”
Welcome to the Greecespot.