US TV host: 'Grateful' earthquake death toll is worse than economic toll

By Daily Mail Reporter
14th March 2011

A TV and radio host shocked viewers when he said the human toll caused by the widespread death and destruction of the Japanese earthquake and tsunami was worse than the toll on the economy 'and we can be grateful for that'.

In the wake of devastation which has seen thousands lose their lives following the 9.0 magnitude quake, CNBC's Larry Kudlow said: 'The human toll here looks to be much worse than the economic toll, and we can be grateful for that.'

The pundit had been discussing the U.S. markets when the rolling screen graphic signalled the death toll was likely to be more than 1,000.

Shocking: Larry Kudlow, US economic pundit, who said we should be grateful death toll is worse than economic toll

The founder of an economic research and consulting firm, he then added: 'The human toll is a tragedy; we know that. But these markets, all these markets - stocks, commodities, oil, gold - there is no major breakout or breakdown.'

He later apologised on Twitter, saying on Friday: 'I did not mean to say human toll in Japan less important than economic toll.Talking about markets.I flubbed the line. Sincere apology.'

And his optimism may be a little premature, certainly for the Japanese economy, after worries about the economic impact of Friday's disaster, including power shortages that could disrupt factories, triggered a sell-off which impacted on almost all sectors of the Tokyo stock exchange.

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1366017/Japan-earthquake-tsunami-CNBCs-Larry-Kudlow-grateful-human-death-toll-worse-economic-toll.html#ixzz1GexsbN5d