Election-year politics evidently put some strain on Americans' vocabularies in 2012. The two most looked-up words of the year in the Merriam-Webster online dictionary were "socialism" and "capitalism," followed closely by "democracy," "marriage" and "bigotry."
The richest man in Europe -- CEO of LVMH, owner of Louis Vuitton and Christian Dior -- has ignited a debate in Socialist-governed France about patriotism and policy by applying for dual citizenship in Belgium.
European and U.S. markets sank Tuesday as investors worried whether Greece, after an inconclusive election, would be able to form a new government to save it from financial disaster.
The roiling political landscape of Europe pushed U.S. stock futures lower Monday as beleaguered voters in Greece and France rejected years of painful budget cuts. The Dow fell 46 points to 12,911. The S&P 500 slipped 5.7 points to 1,356.80. The Nasdaq fell 12 points to 2,613.50.
