Greek finance minister ruffles a few feathers

Athens

YANIS Varoufakis, Greece's new Finance Minister, is a brilliant economist. His first steps onto the political stage, though, didn't seem to go very smoothly.

Before joining the Syriza-led government, Mr Varoufakis taught at the University of Texas and attracted a global following for his blistering critiques of the austerity imposed on Greece by its international creditors. Among his memorable zingers: Describing the Greek bailout deal as "fiscal waterboarding" and comparing the euro currency to the Hotel California, as in, "You can check out any time you like, but you can never leave." His social-media followers seem to love the fiery rhetoric - but investors and European Union leaders are clearly less enthusiastic. Greek stock and bond markets tanked on Jan 30 after Mr Varoufakis said the new government would no longer cooperate with representatives of the troika of international lenders who've been enforcing the bailout deal.