No Clear Accord on Stimulus by Top 20 Nations

From nytimes.com

At the end of a lengthy meeting at a luxury resort outside London, the so-called Group of 20 nations, who together represent about 85 percent of the world economy, failed to offer specifics about the size or timing of coordinated economic stimulus, and some major players, including Germany and France, remain deeply reluctant to add to their national debt.

They did agree on Saturday to commit more money to help developing countries and the emerging markets of Eastern Europe, where the downturn has spilled into street protests. They also pledged to step up efforts to revive bank lending and regulate hedge funds.

But the vagueness of the commitment meant that it will be up to President Obama — and the leaders of China, Russia and European nations, among others — to convince the markets that they have a coordinated strategy as they prepare to meet in London on April 2.