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LyrArc brings in selected articles from many of the world's top publications.

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New York Times Original article ›
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Reeves says Reagan ever the imaginative politician seized on the idea of "supply side " economics of a not so well known economist Arthur Laffer. Ideas that were simple and appealing- you reduce marginal tax rates and generate higher revenues. This worked for some time with higher economic growth for a number of years, but the arithmetic of higher spending and borrowing and lower taxes would eventually lead to large deficits at the end of Reagan's term, just as price controls worked for awhile and then led to a surge in prices at the end of Nixon's term. When Reagan became President the deficit was 2.5%, when he left office eight years later the deficit was 5% of the economy. Interest payments on debt jumped to $169 billion in 1988, from $69 billion in 1981. Reeves says American politicians know so little about economics, to which it could be added, winning presidential and congressional elections is always a big part of the picture when it comes to economic policy. Which is why Nixon even with Milton Friedman as an advisor shifted to Keynesian policies of higher fiscal spending in 1971, and why Reagan turns to intuitively appealing and effective in the short term policies of having it all- higher spending, growth, and lower taxes. During the years of the two Bush presidencies and the Clinton administration the success of Reagan policies leads to a general sense as Vice President Cheney put it referring to Reagan and Treasury Secretary Baker's belief, that "deficits don't matter." Which leads us to the current situation where 2012 presidential election politics again frame the terms of the debate on deficits and budgets, only now the deficit is much higher and on a unsustainable path. ...
Wall Street Journal Original article ›
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GM and Peugeot Citroen are in talks for sharing the cost of developing new engines and other costs. GM and Citroen Peugeot face declining sales and intense price competition in the European market. With declining sales in Europe there is a need to reduce capacity. GM showed a $747 million loss for Europe in 2011. Peugeot Citroen's automotive division showed a loss of 92 million euros in 2011. A decline of 3-5% is expected in European car sales for 2012.
Wall Street Journal Original article ›
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Carrefour's new CEO in June 2012, Mr. Plassat, describes his plans for reviving the company. This includes giving more autonomy to stores to reduce overhead costs, reducing the number of employees, selling its Greek supermarket business to its local partner and exiting Turkey. Unions estimate job losses at 3000-5000. He says the company is overly centralized at the international level and in the domestic market. He pointed to the 500 million euros of "superficially used money," that was put into marketing in the domestic market and says some of it needs to go into improving stores. Carrefour's share price has fallen by over 50% in 2011-2012. Plassat's plan is for a three year turnaround.
WSJ Original article ›
LyrArc Article Gist
The big difference between the US at about 1.2 million electric car sales and China at over 9 million in the last year is that companies such as BYD have found away to come up new battery technology that uses different more accessible materials. BYD's research into new batteries came up with a iron phosphate battery as shown on articles on BYD in 2024 to substitute for less available lithium and cobalt. On one of its models BYD is offering a price of $11000. This attracts a different kind of buyer than what American makers are reaching. Another plus for BYD is that while sales are stalling in the US because of battery range and lack of charging station access, BYD also sells a large number of hybrid electric cars that help urban dwellers go back to their homes in the countryside. BYD also manufactures two thirds of its parts internally producing needed savings. China is also pushing electric cars with government subsidies and government is working hand in hand with industry in a concerted effort for two decades. Compare that with US where the Biden administration was the first to start changing the way the US does business to put government industry cooperation and working together at the heart of the way of doing things. The US could learn from other nations and adapt its own industrial and modernization efforts in the world after the pandemic and as supply chains are being renewed and restructured. Every nation can learn from its peers. ...
Wall Street Journal Original article ›
LyrArc Article Gist
In a complete reversal of the situation in 2012 when Spain's and Italy's bond yields reached about 8%, Spain's 10 year government bond yields declined to 2.579% on June 8, 2014, according to Tradeweb. The ECB's efforts to fight deflation by injecting money into the financial system in 2014, and investor search for higher yields, is driving up the price of Spain's bonds and reducing yields below that of U.S. Treasurys for the first time. The period it took for this to happen- just 2 years!
NYTimes.com Original article ›
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The settlement price of wheat per bushel (60 pounds) is $6.13  August 18 at Chicago Board of Trade compared to $7.58 at the start of 2022 before the Ukraine war started. Russia's bumper crop and its ability to continue exporting is one reason. Higher commodity prices also mean producers plant more. This is good news for the cost of living not just in poor countries but also in the US and Europe. Peter Coy looks at the dynamics of wheat pricing and production.

Wall Street Journal Original article ›
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Gome's share price fell 21% on March 27, 2012. The company is facing strong competition from online sellers. Its profits declined by 6% in 2011. China is seeing an upsurge for online retailers such as 360Buy.com and Taobao. Gome's internal estimates are for internet sales of home appliances to be 1 in 3 by 2016, up from 1 in 10 in 2010. Gome is in a similiar position as Best Buy in the U.S. which competes with Amazon.com and other online sellers. To compete Gome is promoting its own online shopping operations.
Wall Street Journal Original article ›
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The large increase in auto sales in 2013 to 15.6 million follows a strong rebound in the U.S. market. The gains in sales over 2009 at the peak of the financial crisis, shows Chrysler at 93% gain in sales over 2009, VW at 92%, Nissan 62% and Ford 54%, according to Autodata. Smaller gains of 33% and 26% for Honda and Toyota. Chrysler's sales were 1.8 million in 2013- the company which depended on policymakers in the Obama administration for survival showed remarkable gains under Fiat's CEO Marchionne. VW returning to the market and stumbling repeatedly in the previous ten years, made serious gains with Jetta and Passat models designed and priced for the U.S. market. VW achieved sales of 0.6 million in 2013. Ford sales were 2.5 million, Nissan 1.2 million, Honda 1.5 million and Toyota 2.2 million for 2013. GM sales 2.8 million increasing by 35% in 2013 over 2009. The automobile story may be the biggest story in the U.S. manufacturing recovery. It also may have made a difference in the election campaign of 2012- with winning campaign points in key midwestern states such as Michigan and Ohio for the Obama administration's backing of a renewed auto industry around fuel efficiency improvements, new management, and new relationship with unions. In the period 1998-2007 average sales were 16 million in the U.S. market, with a nosedive to 10.4 million vehicles in 2009, and a rebound to 15.6 million in 2013, according to Autodata. Under previous union contracts with higher wages and pension costs, and a flurry of price incentives, car makers needed higher volume to make profits. Changes since the bankruptcy of 2 automakers include bringing in management from outside the auto industry- Marchionne at Chrysler, Whittaker and Akerson at GM came from other fields (telecom, finance) bringing new perspectives. Mulally at Ford was from Boeing commercial aerospace. Other changes were lower wages and pension costs with renegotiated contracts and relationships with unions, discipline to lower incentives, younger managers moved up and brought in from outside including Reuss and Barra at GM, Farley at Ford, lower sales to fleets, improved fuel efficiency for SUV's and pickups to change the cost of operating, a mix shifted to smaller and midsized cars, improved quality, and changing the buyer perception of American brands....
The Economist Original article ›
LyrArc Article Gist
This Economist magazine editorial says the Republican plan for health care with its roll back of Medicaid expansion by limiting funding to states after 2020, and by scaling back subsidies especially for older Americans and not basing them on income levels, is likely to have its own problems just as the Affordable Care Act. One concern is that keeping healthy people in the market with a mandate that everyone have insurance is present but in a milder form with premiums going up by 30% in one year if they change their mind. There is concern that this may not work among insurers leading to an increase in premiums, pricing people out of the market in "a death spiral." This could lead to more people being priced out of the market as premiums rise. About 12 million people were added to Medicaid by increasing eligibility level to $16400, or 138% of poverty line- this reduced the uninsured from 16% in 2010 to 8.8% today. The Economist concludes that the Republican health care bill has its own problems, and that this bill does not clear up the problems in Obamacare by substituting Ryancare as the Republican bill is called. Peggy Noonan writing in the WSJ says this may have negative consequences for the new Republican base shift to populist support. Critics on the right like Rand Paul see even the reduced subsidies as an entitlement program, yet the Republicans can only change parts of the Affordable Care Act as they need 60 votes in the Senate where they only have a small majority.   ...
Wall Street Journal Original article ›
LyrArc Article Gist
After years of negotiations Russia and China reached agreement on a memorandum that provides deliveries by Gazprom of 38 billion cubic metres of natural gas to China by 2018, under a 30 year supply deal. The pipeline to deliver gas to China is part of a $50 billion project for a pipeline that takes gas to Vladivostock for liquefaction. A spur from that pipeline would take gas to China. This would make China the largest importer of natural gas from Russia. In 2012 Germany imported 33 billion cubic metres of natural gas from Russia, followed by other large importers Ukraine, Turkey, Belarus and Italy. A new agreement between China and Russia's state owned oil company, Rosneft, doubles the oil imports to 31 million metric tons a year under a 25 year deal. The current level of imports is 15 million tons set by a deal in 2009. The lower price of natural gas going to Europe helped the two countries bridge differences over price. China's National Petroleum Corporation will partner with Rosneft for exploration in new oil fields in the Russian Arctic region....
WSJ Original article ›
LyrArc Article Gist
The US housing market in 2022 with sharp increase in cash out refinancing and home equity financing. Total home equity increased 20% in the first quarter to $27.8 trillion, a record high, according to the Federal Reserve, the US central bank. About 60% of equity was withdrawn through cash out refinancing in 2021, according to mortgage data. Cash out refinancing simply adds the amount borrowed to the existing mortgage balance. The amount borrowed through such financing by homeowners adds to inflationary pressures with more cash borrowed on the house for home improvement projects, gardening projects, appliance spending and automobile purchases. The increase in the interest rates by the US Federal Reserve including the 0.75% increase in the rate announced on June 15 slows the amount of borrowing through cash out refinancing. The supply chain disruptions disrupted flow of goods at a time of high demand in 2021 following the lockdowns, and then the war in Ukraine added another layer of inflation from high gas prices. The combined effect with housing price pressures created the perfect storm in inflation the US is facing with the rest of the world. ...
WSJ Original article ›
LyrArc Article Gist
Russians vote in 2021 parliamentary elections. With 30% of votes cast the United Russia party of Mr. Putin wins 45% of votes cast, followed by the Communist party of the Russian Federation with 22%, and the Liberal Democratic party getting 8%. Russia has mixed voting system with half the seats directly elected from party lists, and the other half assigned to individual candidates. United Russia had 334 seats out of total 450 seats in the outgoing parliament. Putin will need over 300 seats in the new parliament to get the two thirds majority to enact changes to the constitution. Putin needs this to extend his current term which ends in 2024.  Putin draws most of his support from the older part of the population that has seen the hardships imposed following the collapse of Communism around 1990. This led to collapse of the ruble currency, increase in poverty, an effort by oligarchs to capture state enterprises, and a chaotic period for law and order. Shockingly during that period even life spans of Russians declined as reported in the WSJ. Liberals who supported the shift to democracy had not anticipated all the ill effects of introducing capitalist free market systems in such a sudden and free fall way. Such sudden shifts to free markets are now better understood and seen as the wrong way, as western capital markets fail without inbuilt protections, safety net for workers and retired people, and are subject to serious distortions if no vigilant authority exists. This is in reality not a free market but a market captured by the few, in the interests of the few. Once this was clear retired people, pensioners, military, law enforcement, and liberals realizing what had happened shifted support to United Russia founded by Mr. Putin. Mr. Putin faces the typical situation faced by incumbents over long periods where there is a sense of the need for change. Yet the pandemic and other economic crises that could happen in the event of mismanaged economy are never really too distant for countries such as Russia, China, India that are developed but yet have not the strong industrial base of US, Germany, France. Such economic crises including the ruble currency and Russian energy companies were better managed under Putin than under the chaotic period following the collapse of communism and the introduction of so called "free markets" that were anything but. During the recentfree fall in oil prices Putin was able to manage a transition period with the help of president Trump who negotiated a price for oil with the Saudis to protect US shale oil workers and companies, as well as Russian workers and oil companies. As a result Russians particularly young people look for alternative places to vote for opposition parties such as Liberals, Communist party, and other parties. But the majority of Russians including those working for state energy and other state companies tend to stay with Putin's choices for state, regional and federal administration and for parliament. Nationalist spirit also provides additional support as Putin has restored Russia's status as one of the important nations in the world. Some missteps such as interference in US elections have led to a loss of some of this international influence, yet even president Biden understands the situation in Russia and is willing to work with Putin with new rules of conduct Under the Russian system about 70% of the laws are not made by parliament but are done by the government and the administration of the president and then go through parliament. In addition to parliamentary vote there are 6 governor races and three races for heads of regional republics. ...
Wall Street Journal Original article ›
LyrArc Article Gist
The Indian government's restrictions on single brand retail store ownership by foreign companies has long been an impediment for companies like IKEA. The decision by the Indian government in 2012 to allow 100% ownership removes this impediment. However other restrictions are seen as onerous- one requirement is for 30% of sourcing to be done in India. IKEA management points out that the sourcing from small and midsize enterprises may be difficult. By contrast IKEA has increased local sourcing in China from 30 to 65% just to meet price competition fom local competitors, according to Jen Hansegard, head of the China operations.
New York Times Original article ›
LyrArc Article Gist
To get a clearer picture of the potential and problems with alternative fuels one has to cut through the political lobbying aspects to get an idea of what is doable without environmental consequences. There are many issues connected to the new mandate Congress is writing up for use of 9 billion gallons of fuel made from biomass in 10 years by 2017 and 21 billion gallons by 2022. Since it takes about 700,000 tons of biomass to produce 50 million gallons according to one energy analyst it would require the movement of 126 million tons of biomass from biomass growing areas to biomass plants that convert it into fuel in 2017. This would mean burning energy for transport and would require development of the logistics. The technology isn't here yet but scientists know that biomass can be converted into fuels resembling gasoline or diesel based on the molecular chemistry. Environmentalists and national security groups have joined together to push for this sweeping mandate that the Energy department estimates can replace a third or more of the country's gasoline needs by 2017 or 2022 as the fuel efficiency fuel savings also kick in by that time. The idea is to growthe types ofplant material and straw, switchgrass, that would require very little water and fertilizer to grow. Its the challenge scientists have to take on. And to use tree trimmings, corn stubble and certain kinds of garbage thats a biomass for conversion into fuel. Today about 7 billion gallons of ethanol are made in the USA after Congress passed a law in 2005. Its used mainly as an additive and replaces about 4% of the gasoline used in the USA. Congress new mandate on ethanol calls for an additional 8 billion gallons of ethanol from corn by 2015, in 8 years. Right now corn prices are soaring and corn used as feed for livestock is becoming costlier for meat producers causing them to complain and because it takes about 20 million acres of corn to produce these are acres that cant produce vegetable or fruit or other grain and food producers and processors are complaining that this raises the prices they pay for the inputs they use. So there is a lot of lobbying going on back and forth and some of the statements reflect this. The petroleum industry also does'nt like the idea of nonpetroleum based products and hasnt been too enthusiastic about this mandate and hasnt really made the conversion to their refining and distribution networks for widespread use of these alternative fuels. But Congress is determined and public opinion polls reflect the concerns of a public that is upset about nothing being done about the nationa's dependency on foreign oil. For this see the recent Business Week link. All this is going on while the price of ethanol has slumped and corn price inpouts for ehtanol production are soaring making ethanol less profitable, and see the recent link to the WSJ for this. Congress is responding to grassroots public opinion that wants something done and just as the auto industry learned by its failed lobbying on fuel efficiency the petroleum and other industries are just going to have to live with it it seems. ...
New York Times Original article ›
LyrArc Article Gist
BYD shares have fallen sharply as sales of its gasoline powered cars have declined in the Chinese market, declining by 43% from the high by Feb. 8, 2012. Part of the problem is that sales have shifted to foreign brands. BYD pushed ahead with developing electric car technologies, but the market appears to be moving in the direction of gasoline-electric hybrid cars, in which the Japanese manufacturers have the lead. BYD sold very basic cars at the low end of the price range. In 2009 and 2010 the government provided incentives with reduced sales tax for cars with small engines and subsidized sales in rural areas, which helped BYD sales. These program were phased out. In 2011 restrictions on cars went into effect for Beijing, with license plates for the municipal region reduced by two thirds, to limit the automobile congestion in the city. The license plates were distributed using a lottery system., This further shifted purchases to the higher price end made by foreign brands. BYD now sees the future sales potential in hybrid gasoline-electric cars and has changed its strategy....
Wall Street Journal Original article ›
LyrArc Article Gist
Efforts to raise money by Eventbrite, a event ticketing internet startup in the U.S. Eventbrite raised $60 million from T. Rowe Price Group and Tiger Global Management in late stage financing. Private investments in late stage financing have accelerated in 2011-2013. In the 1st quarter of 2013 $2.2 billion was raised in late stage venture capital investments compared to $672 million raised through venture capital backed IPO's, according to figures put together by the National Venture Capital Association from Pricewaterhouse Coopers and Thomson Reuters. For 2012 late stage financing raised $8.6 billion compared to $21.5 billion in IPO's, including the $16 billion for Facebook IPO. Excluding the Facebook IPO, IPO's raised $5.5 billion, much less than the late stage financing. Investors who purchased Facebook Inc. privately just prior to the IPO, face paper losses at the current trading price in April 2013 of $25.73 per share, making investors wary of heavily hyped up IPO's. SurveyMonkey, a web survey company has raised $800 million from private equity and debt investments. The Jumpstart Our Business Startups Act lets startups remain private longer by allowing startups to have over 500 investors before having to disclose financial statements to the public....
The Guardian Original article ›
LyrArc Article Gist
Milan will host the World Cities Culture Summit in 2020, and the Winter Olympics in 2026 shared with the Alpine town of Cortina. The international book fair of Turin is moving to Milan. The left of centre Mayor Giuseppe Sala has promoted the city to increase tourism by 50%. And foreign investment is increasing for new construction projects with $21 billion to be taken up in the next 15 years. Experts are asking if this is coming at a price as the rest of Italy has stagnated for 20 years, and the rural large city gap is increasing throughout Europe. The flow of professionals to cities such as Milan, Paris, Munich, Berlin, from other towns and cities is creating a huge shift that experts at the Centre of European Reform see as a problem because of the political turmoil, and rising inequality with ever widening gaps between smaller cities and towns and rural areas with the big cities. This is compounded by ageing and demographics such as seen in the eastern part of Germany, and parts of France. Experts call it The Big European Sort, where a sifting or sorting process is increasingly transforming the demographics of European countries and driving polarisation. This process is also happening in the U.S. Experts say the big cities benefitted from the change with the European single market and the European Union. Places where working class people live are not seeing and increase in wealth which is disproportionately going to professionals clustered in big cities. Deindustrialisation has turned places like Mezio only 20 miles from Milan into industrial ruins. Towns that once voted socialist are now voting far right in these hollowed out industrial places. In the U.S. and in Europe the process was exacerbated by the flow of cheap imports from Asia hollowing out factories in regions around big cities, and by the growth of services industry in big cities with globalization in finance, legal, and other professional services. Fro 1980 to 1995 Paris region lost about $5.5 billion in industrial output and gained $20 billion in services output that also aligns with globalization in areas such as finance, according to CER, Eurostat. The process had accelerated in 1995-2020. By telling this story about Milan and the Lombard region around it like Mezio, The Guardian is saying it is time to look at how everything works together rather than breaking apart- citing the Finnish architect Saarinen about how a chair fits into a room, a room into a house, and a house into its environment, an environment in a city. So the question is how can we build the future by seeing that the city fits into a region, and a region fits into a country. As a young professional described this on BBC television interview recently this is a difficult period with the ability to design the future seemingly snatched away by the times, but also an opportunity to rethink and take the actions today for a better tomorrow for all. This is part of the coverage on Cities in The Guardian looking at how cities can work, and how cities can become part of healthy regions, for organic growth. ...
WSJ Original article ›
LyrArc Article Gist
Saudi Arabia continued to follow a policy of high oil production in 2016, and reported that it produced 10.67 million barrels a day in July 2016. Iran is producing at a pre-sanction level of 4 million barrels a day. 2017 oil demand prediction by OPEC is at growth of 1.15 million barrels a day. Experts says that the interests of Iran and the Saudis may be converging to reduce production as they face low oil prices. Iran needs to make large investments and Saudis face budget cuts with low oil prices. They point to this cooperation being temporary as there are issues of competing politics in the region, and beyond that both countries seek to expand their market share.

WSJ Original article ›
LyrArc Article Gist
There is a major contraction in the supply of leased cars to the used car market. This used to be the major source of used cars on dealer's lots. The contraction is so large it will take years to fix, some say 2027. The contraction of leased cars is expected to be 23% from 2024 to 2025 for expiring 3 year leases. Another factor leased cars are a good deal to buy at the end of the lease seeing how sticky used car prices are these days. A 3 year old leased car now costs $28,000 up 45% since 2020, and for new cars it is $48,000 up 25% since 2020 This is significant because a key part of inflation is not only cost of groceries (eggs for example), it is also the cost of cars and housing. For cars used cars are a major part of it as it is basic transportation needed to get to work for a majority of Americans. There are Americans where a car breakdown leads to a loss of a job because it costs too much to repair and young people just don't have the money. Stories in WSJ now point to how DJT won in 2024 largely because of immigration, fentanyl and transgender, and the frustration with high inflation. The challenge is now for action where Mexico, Canada and China cut off fentanyl flows to be able to access the US market. It is also for finding a way to cut housing and car costs. ...
Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget Original article ›
LyrArc Article Gist
The Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget is a non partisan nonprofit organization formed in 1981 by Connecticut Democrat Giamo and Oklahoma Senator Bellmon of the US Congress, senior members of House and Senate Budget Committtee. To educate the American public on issues related to the US Budgets, where money went and how it is spent. It's estimate for Kamala Harris plan for $6000 child tax credit is $10 billion a year. The existing $3600 a child tax credit in 2021 is estimated to cost $110 billion a year. Lyrarc estimate this will be offset by savings in Medicare of $36 billion a year from Medicare negotiation with Pharma as indicated by president Biden, and by $40 billion a year in billionaires paying 25% instead of 8.2% as a minimum tax per Biden, additional savings coming from very high income earners earning above $10 million. This would bring the cost of helping children in the first crucial years of life to below $44 billion a year. And making a huge investment in children at a time when everything has gone up in price from diapers, to baby food, to childcare and early childhood learning crucial for the future of America. We believe it is imperative to invest in children after the pandemic has cost 1 million lives and left for each dead person 8-9 persons in precarious situations financially. Educationally it has left children behind from missing crucial school years. These gaps will need to be filled and this is only one investment in the right place to correct this problem to prevent America from being handicapped forever by these problems and gaps in education in early years.  ...
Wall Street Journal Original article ›
LyrArc Article Gist
Analysts are forecasting an average oil price of $106 for 2011, according to FactSet Research Systems. Brent crude is $110 a barrel in the third week of August 2011. This implies Brent crude has to be at an average of $95 for the remainder of 2011- suggesting a decline of 14% from todays levels. Share prices of European oil companies Royal Dutch Shell, BP, Eni and Total are priced for long term crude oil prices at $75 per barrel, according to Citi.
New York Times Original article ›
LyrArc Article Gist
The Russian economy says a World Bank report in June 2009 won't recover to precrisis levels till 2012. The growth in the first quarter of 2008 reached 8.7%. The drop in GDP in 2009 will be 7.9%. And World Bank chief economist for Russia, Zelkjo Bogetic, says that half a decade will be lost. This is even with the rise in oil prices and the worst of the crisis with the collapsing ruble now put behind Russia. What is keeping things looking grim is the drop in domestic demand, reduced global growth, tight credit, and declining infrastructure investment. The World Bank projects Russia will see increasing number of people slipping back into poverty. By the end of 2009 17.4% of the people in Russia, or about 26.4 million people, will be living in poverty.
Wall Street Journal Original article ›
LyrArc Article Gist
Orlik reports that the link between China's GDP growth and lending has broken down as credit expansion is accompanied by slowing growth. Slowing credit growth and lowering GDP growth even further is the price China's ecnomic planners are willing to take to forge a new path of sustainable growth, increasing efficiency of investment and increasing domestic consumption. The ratio of China's credit outstanding to GDP has jumped to about 180% in 2012 from 123% in 2008. Rapid expansion of credit is one of the danger signals before a crisis according to the IMF. Turkey and China are facing danger signals according to this IMF danger indicator.
New York Times Original article ›
LyrArc Article Gist
Nokia announced a loss of 929 million euros for the first quarter of 2012. Sales declined from 10.4 billon euros to 7.4 billion euros in the same quarter prior year. The only bright spot for the company is that the Lumia 900 sold throught AT&T has made a successful launch in the U.S. Nokia CEO Elop says the phone is sold out in stores in the U.S. Lumia sales were 2 million in the 1st quarter of 2012, at an average price of 220 euros ($290). Nokia's strategy now is to bring the Lumia line including the lower end Luma 610 phone to Asian markets by June- to China, Singapore, Vietnam, Taiwan, Indonesia and Malaysia. Nokia's biggest problem is the older Symbian phones, which consumers are passing by and which now have to be discounted rapidly or replaced quickly with the Lumia line. The other related problem is falling margins on basic phones as Chinese competitors discount heavily- basic Nokia phone prices fell 18% to 33 euros ($43) from 40 euros or($52) the prior year. The speed in the drop in business for mobile phones can be guaged from the sales decline of 40% in the 1st quarter from $9.3 billion to $5.6 billion. Things are made worse by the 772 million euro ($1 billion) charge taken for Nokia Siemens Networks, a network joint venture with Siemens. Sales for Nokia Siemens fell 7% in the first quarter to $3.8 billion. Nokia Siemens has 53 contracts to build new mobile networks with Long Term Evolution Technology more than competitors Ericsson and Huawei, according to Nokia Siemens. Everything now depends on the speed with which Nokia can move to its Lumia line across the board, especially in China....
WSJ Original article ›
LyrArc Article Gist
A surge in rural vote with anxieties about illegal immigration surges and little done by the Biden administration in the first two years when the surge from Venezuela became evident. The pandemic, vaccine was followed by two wars in the thrid and fourth year, yet the immigration issue was allowed to grow without forceful action to close the border and pass legislation early in the first 2 years, with an objective assessment of the situation as has happened in first Socialists in Denmark, northern Europe, and then Britain as the Labour party shifted to shut down illegal immigration in its policies by 2022. The unease in rural areas was accompanied by unease among younger people 18-34 years over cost of living, and the unease among Latinos in general and Black people  without a college degree.  Taking an approach to the wars that would remove them as distractions by looking for a settlement in Ukraine through negotiations, and prioritizing strong action on the border, price surges would have helped tackle pressing issues that caused so much unease.  ...

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