Financial Development Index

The World Economic Form unleashed the first ever Financial Development Index. The report pulls together 120 variables on the economies in 52 nations. The United States slid into first place ahead of the United Kingdom -- by .02. Germany's third, with the Netherlands and Singapore clinging to the bottom of the top 10.

With one of the project's great minds, economist Nouriel Roubini. Roubini says the report is designed to help countries get a grip on their economic shortcomings -- but it can also help people like me figure out where to put our (buckets and buckets of) money.

The U.S. came out on top for now, but with all that rattling in our banking system -- Fannie/Freddie, Lehman Brothers and the rest

Grab the report for yourself. It's 362 pages, but much of that acreage is in charts for individual countries. Don't be scared of it.

NPR, USA
weforum
economist

Everyone should also grab The Economist Magazine. & Be sure to listen to the description of the Financial Development Index on NPR, USA for a brief audio summary. When I first look at the Economist magazine I thought...ok, I don't get some of this stuff. But it is actually quite easy to understand. As you keep reading, it becomes a breeze!...;)