THE DAILY CHART: Ballooning debt

The US faces an enormous, unprecedented debt burden and the question being asked by PIMCO's Bill Gross is whether its economy can grow enough to service it, or will the weight of that debt stymie the very growth it desperately needs.



Any hopes that Greece could grow its way out of debt have been smashed and more of the PIIGS could follow suit, with painful austerity measures the only way out.

For more on global debt levels, Bill Gross argues that investors should brace themselves for the months and years ahead as the global deleveraging process takes a heavy toll.