The following video is part of our "Motley Fool Conversations" series, in which Brendan Byrnes, industrials editor and analyst, and Austin Smith, consumer goods editor and analyst, discuss topics across the investing world.

In today's edition, Brendan and Austin take a look at how the European debt crisis is weighing on these companies. We recently saw some disappointing November numbers on auto sales out of Europe. How do the European shipping companies, often viewed as indicators of the overall economy, fare in all of this?

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