Roubini Sees German, U.S Debt

Roubini Sees German, U.S Debt as Havens in Face of ‘Fragility’

By Francine Lacqua and Mark Deen

July 4 (Bloomberg) -- Nouriel Roubini, the New York University economist credited with predicting the financial crisis, said that government bonds of countries such as Germany, Canada and the U.S. will represent a haven from increasingly volatile markets in coming months.

“It is going to be a period of economic and financial fragility,” Roubini said in an interview in Aix en Provence, France. “The short-term and long-term debt of countries not yet subject to sovereign debt concern will be havens,” he said.

The global economy will slow in the second half as deficit- reduction measures, notably in Europe, sap demand, Roubini said. U.S. growth will ease to about 1.5 percent by the end of 2010, about half its potential, while the euro area’s expansion may stall, he said. As a whole, the world should avoid a double-dip recession, he said.

“The next few weeks and months will be a time of volatility as the market surprises on the downside,” he said. “It’s a pretty ugly picture. The macro news from the U.S., Europe, Japan and even China is disappointing. Credit spreads will widen.”

Roubini spoke at a meeting of France’s Circle of Economists.