GDP

   Is the Great Recession really over? Or is the economic malaise spreading like the flu?
   With the exception of China's explosive growth in Gross Domestic Product -- up 7.4 percent in the third quarter, with a prediction of jumping to 8 percent in the second half of this year, according to the Peoples' Daily -- other nations are anemic or down. In France, fourth quarter GDP is off by 0.1 percent, Germany reported a dip of 0.5 percent, the UK down by 0.3 percent, and Canada barely up by 0.1 percent in the third quarter and likely less in the fourth quarter.

   The U.S. Commerce Department has not yet reported GDP growth for the fourth quarter. It was up by 3.1 percent in the third quarter, well above the 2 percent estimated in October. But with such variation across the world and the interconnectedness of international economies, that wide a range indicates turbulence that, if not resolved, will bring a storm.
   Canada is America's largest trading partner, and economic performance there is very slow. Even healthy Germany is sneezing.
   The danger is that the economic virus, like the flu, will spread to the U.S. And when the U.S. economy sneezes, the rest of the world catches a cold.