The chancellor of the exchequer, Gordon Brown, hitherto a seriously hyper-active type, needed a break from using fiscal policy to mend every last thing in the economy that does not work exactly as he thinks it should, and so did the country.

ECONOMIST: Britain has a two-faced chancellor

Mindful of its large public debt, Italy refrained from using fiscal policy as an active tool to stimulate the economy, and has managed to keep its budget deficit below the euro-area average (see left-hand chart).

ECONOMIST: Economics focus

Really tight fiscal policy may push the Fed to become even more active, Nordvig says.

FORBES: A Romney Victory Will Send The U.S. Dollar And Equities Higher, But Only In The Short Term, Nomura Says