Political Brinksmanship Still Threatens US Economy

By PAUL WISEMAN and CHRISTOPHER S. RUGABER

WASHINGTON (AP) ⿿ A last-minute deal will keep the U.S. from driving off the so-called "fiscal cliff," but higher taxes and continued political fighting in Washington threaten to shake the fragile economy well into 2013.

A bill passed by Congress late Tuesday averts widespread tax increases and delays deep spending cuts that had threatened to return the country to recession.

Investors around the world breathed a collective sigh of relief after the biggest near-term stumbling block for the world economy had been cleared.

At midday Wednesday on Wall Street, the Dow Jones industrial average was up a hefty 223 points, or 1.7 percent. Broader stock averages also jumped.

In Europe, the FTSE 100 index of leading British shares closed up 2.2 percent to 6,027.37, its first time above 6,000 since July 2011. The CAC-40 in France rose 2.6 percent, and Germany's DAX ended 2.2 percent higher.

Earlier, in Asia, Hong Kong's Hang Seng index shot up 2.9 percent to close at 23,311.89, its highest finish since June 1, 2011. Australia's S&P/ASX 200 surged 1.2 percent to close at 4,705.90, its best finish in 19 months.

Some economists were disappointed that Congress and the White House couldn't reach agreement on a broader deal to significantly reduce the deficit over the next 10 years. That could have boosted business and consumer confidence and accelerated growth.

"Nothing really has been fixed," said Joseph LaVorgna, an economist at Deutsche Bank. "There are much bigger philosophical issues that we aren't even addressing yet."

Lawmakers postponed tough decisions on government spending, giving themselves a reprieve from cuts that were scheduled to start taking effect automatically Jan. 1. That just sets the stage for more hard bargaining later. Spending cuts could hurt growth even more.

Another standoff is likely to arrive as early as February, when Congress will need to raise the $16.4 trillion federal borrowing limit so the government can keep paying its bills. House Republicans, who objected strongly to the latest fiscal deal Tuesday before the chamber finally voted to approve it, probably won't agree to raise the debt limit without offsetting spending cuts that Democrats are sure to resist.

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