Natural disaster in Japan: implications for world financial markets

This contribution focuses on the consequences of the natural disaster in Japan for the world financial markets as seen around half a year after the nuclear accident happened. It, thus, focuses on expectations about what would happen in macroeconomics terms later on. For this purpose, it examines how deep the slump in growth was, to what extent Japanese suppliers are integrated into international production chains, and how much the world economy would, thus, be affected. Moreover, it assesses what the economic implications of a forced withdrawal from nuclear energy as a reaction to the disaster would have been. Finally, it elaborates on the consequences of the natural disaster in Japan for the world financial markets and for the development of national debt.