Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin characterized U.S. monetary policy as “hooliganism” in his annual address to the Russian Parliament Wednesday.
As reported in the Wall Street Journal:
“Look at their trade balance, their debt, and budget. They turn on the printing press and flood the entire dollar zone — in other words, the whole world — with government bonds. There is no way we will act this way anytime soon. We don’t have the luxury of such hooliganism,” he said.
Putin lobbed harsh criticism toward the U.S., saying that “everything is not so good for our friends in the States,” and said the lesson to be taken from the financial crisis was the importance of being “self-reliant, independent, and strong.”
Earlier this week Standard & Poor’s downgraded its economic outlook for the U.S. from “stable” to “negative.”
China — the top holder of U.S. debt — has also expressed concern about the U.S.’s economic footing following the S&P warning. On Tuesday, China’s foreign ministry spokesman urged the U.S. to adopt “responsible measures” to guarantee the interests of investors.
