The Euro May Not Survive

...according to Joseph Stiglitz, one of the world's leading economists. The Telegraph reports:

The former chief economist of the World Bank and a Nobel prize winner also predicted that short-term speculators in the market could soon start putting pressure on Spain, which is struggling with a large deficit and high unemployment.

And he warns:

... that Spain, similarly to Greece, was now in the speculators' sights. Under the rules of the game, Spain must now cut its spending, which will almost surely increase its unemployment rate still further," he said. "As its economy slows, the improvement in its fiscal position may be minimal.Spain may be entering the kind of death spiral that afflicted Argentina just a decade ago. It was only when Argentina broke its currency peg with the dollar that it started to grow and its deficit came down.

At present, Spain has not been attacked by speculators, but it may be only a matter of time.

And sensibly Mr Stiglitz argues:

... that the different needs of countries with high trade surpluses, particularly Germany, and those running deficits such as Ireland, Portugal and Greece, meant that the single currency was under intense pressure and may not survive. He suggests that one way to save the euro would be for Germany to leave the eurozone, so allowing the currency to devalue and help struggling countries with exports.

Can someone please put this flawed and damaged currency out of its misery asap.