The most likely outcome, in my view, is a minute-to-midnight fiscal cliff
compromise, with lawmakers loudly claiming victory along partisan lines,
while covertly agreeing to delay any fundamental decisions about how to
tackle America’s perilous fiscal future.
I would also predict, though, that investor angst over the cliff is rapidly
replaced by concern about the US “debt ceiling” and that the current dispute
turns out to be just a dress rehearsal for a much more serious row – one
that really could destabilise global markets.
The inconvenient truth is that the US will also hit its federal borrowing
limit on the first day of 2013 – leaving just a few weeks of “extraordinary
measures” before an agreement on that is also required.
The Republicans may try to use the debt ceiling to force more spending cuts,
as they did during a lengthy stand-off in early 2012.