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WSJ calls in April 2025 for accountability push from DJT and the US including all agencies of the government on Wuhan Lab leak so that all the facts are available to the people of the US after millions dead, and lives, economies destroyed. WSJ says we cannot trust scientists with dangerous pathogens to make decisions with bureaucrats and universities, foreign governments and agencies of the US government, that affect the lives of billions of people in the US and the world. WSJ has covered this issue and its evolution in detail since 2019. Honoring the dead and being prepared for the future requires being honest with ourselves, says the WSJ.

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This Journal editorial on Citigroup considers the continuing risks posed by its "too-big-to fail" status after the departure of CEO Pandit in Oct. 2012. The new CEO, Corbat, has experience in commercial banking in contrast to Pandit, yet the challenges remain at Citigroup.

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The problems Shanghai residents are facing during the covid lockdown in 2022. The experience of a 34 year old technology worker in Shanghai who is sent to a quarantine center in a 16 hour bus ride shows the difficulties people are facing in Shanghai, China. The zero covid policy is affecting the economy and the daily lives of people in China. In the US Democrats shifted away from strict covid protocols in 2021 after realizing that there were economic costs and costs for daily living of ordinary people, with lockdowns becoming less frequent in states such as Michigan, New York and California.

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Rapidly increasing credit to GDP ratios between 2008 and 2012 in Hong Kong, Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, and Taiwan.

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Experts view the behaviour of 10 year Treasury yields at different periods following the 2008 financial crisis. Twice in early 2010 and early 2011 there were signals that the economy was not so weak before faltering, each time 10 year Treasury yields went up to 3.75-4% before going down to the 2.24% level. This situation appears to be happening again in 2012 with rates dropping in the first quarter to between 1.82%- 2.11%. The yields on 10 year Treasury jumped again, this time to 2.39% on March 19, 2012, as the eurozone crisis fears and U.S. economic growth fears subsided for the time being.

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The depreciation of the yen lifts Toyota's financial results. Currency rates account for 73% of Toyota increase in the July-Sept quarter 2013 profits, and are expected to account for 70% of expected increase in operating profit for the full year. Third quarter profit increased to 438 billion yen in the thrid quarter of 2013 from 257 billion yen for the same quarter in 2012, increasing by 70%.

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After $120 billion in losses to rescue failed banks, the FDIC is raising $45 billion from banks in a restoration plan. After these losses the FDIC now has negative net worth. Banks would be ordered to prepay their annual asessments through 2012.

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Krugman on the dangers that the sharp cuts in spending proposed by the Republicans in Congress- as a solution to the budget impasse- could abort the nascent and fragile recovery in 2011. The impact of higher food and oil prices also affects consumers in 2011-2012.

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An analyst survey by MacroMarkets shows home prices as measured by the S&P Case-Shiller national index will decline by 1.4% in 2010, then increase in 2011 by 1.3% and 2.7% in 2012. At this time weaker jobs data are making analysts cautious about a rebound in the housing market.

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About half a trillion dollars in business investment was lost as a result of the financial crisis of 2008-2009 and its lingering effects in 2010-2012. Irwin points out that business investment in equipment and software increased by 8.9% in 2010 and 11% in 2011, but this was off lower numbers after the financial crisis of 2012. And business investment has declined in the last 3 quarters, with a 13.2 % drop in durable goods orders for August 2012 driven partly by a drop in aircraft orders.

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After taking the recent writedowns Bankia should have setu provisions for losses on real estate bad loans equal to 48.9% of its real estate portfolio. The Spanish government said on May 25, 2012 that it would inject 19 billion euros to recapitalize Bankia. Yet this raises more questions about the rest of the banking system and the need to set aside adequate reserves for bad real estate loans. Extrapolating from the writedowns at Bankia for real estate losses, about 45 billion euros would be needed for the other Spanish banks, according to UBS. And this raises the question of how the government would raise the money to recapitalize the banking system, as Spain's borrowing rate on its 10 year bonds has increased to 6.45% in May 2012. If Spain provides government bonds to banks the markdown on the bonds would still need to be shown separately, and a large figure would be a sign of increasing riskiness to bond investors.

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Shrinking cable systems business with cord-cutting in the US in 2024. Strategies for streaming services and news/entertainment business at Comcast.

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Job seekers and job stayers make no difference in pay increases about 4.6% increase for the US in Jan and Feb 2025.

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Criticism of the EU's handling of the Greece crisis by IMF officials in a report. The report says the actions taken for debt restructuring in 2012 should have come much earlier to reduce the debt burden and the size of austerity measures in Greece. Similiar criticism has been voiced by president Hollande of France and in editorials by the WSJ. President Samaras of Greece says the sharp cuts in spending reduced potential for growth in the economy.

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Fiat CEO Marchionne's tells Fiat managers to focus on export markets and to look beyond, Italy and the European market. In a presentation to prime minister Mario Monti he emphasizes the capacity utilization at Fiat's Italian plants of 40% in 2012.

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The first Quad Summit of leaders of US, Australia, India and Japan takes place on March 11, 2021. The Quad is a force for good says the Indian prime minister, with its focus on vaccines, climate change and emerging technologies. 

The leaders affirmed the need to ensure equitable access to the vaccines for speedy economic recovery and benefitting global health. Mr. Biden affirmed the need for the Indo-Pacific region to be "governed by international law, free of coercion and upholding universal values."

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Germany has a patchwork of restrictions to tackle coronavirus. This is a serious problem during the third wave in April 2021. There is a lack of clarity as the 16 states within Germany's federal structure each make their own rules. This has weakened the power of the federal government and chancellor Merkel in setting rules for the whole country. A You.Gov poll shows 53% of Germans support the federal government setting the rules. Interior minister Seehofer is considering a new federal law to make this happen.

 

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The pandemic came to young German people at a time when the trend was for less opportunity, more inequality. These trends are now aggravated and the loss of opportunities, and the loss of hope is even worse now in 2021. Job searches are being conducted while experiencing intense social isolation, boredom and lack of physical acitivity. The job competition is described here as horrendously competitive, a few roles and so many job seekers jostling to get them as companies have been hammered during the pandemic. 

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EC Council president Michel apologizes for not responding when EC Commission president von der Leyen was left without a seat at a meeting with Erdogan, Turkey's president, in Ankara April 6, 2021. Michel could easily have offered his seat to Ms.  Ursula von der Leyen and taken a seat on the nearby sofa instead, as a form of courtesy. This would have prompted the Turkish side to arrange for another chair next to Erdogan for face to face discussions on improving ties with Turkey during the pandemic.

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A city already 40% below sea level faces torrential rain and flooding in the first days of 2020. Jakarta, Indonesia is a metropolitan area of around 30 million people. Land around the city is subsiding from overuse of pumping of underground water. Floodwaters do not drain into the sea as is normal. Walls protect the parts of the city that are below sea level. 

During heavy rain the water from upland areas comes down to Jakarta further overwhelming a poor drainage canal system.

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The debate in France about the need for a new policy to boost manufacturing at home. The planned closure of a Bridgestone factory in Bethune in northern France in 2021 provides another example of the effect on local communities with closing of plants. The French government has pledged to relocate more production back to France. About 15 billion euros of a 100 billion euros package to fight the effects of the pandemic on the economy will go to relocate sectors and boost local manufacturing and jobs.

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Texas is expected to surpass California in 2021 in solar energy with a new $1.6 billion project solar farm north of Dallas. California has 13,000 megawatts of solar energy. Texas has 29,000 megawatts of wind and solar energy production combined, the largest of any state in the U.S. Texas solar has potential to boost supplies in daytime when demand is highest. The cost of solar is coming down and the development of solar will accelerate in the U.S. in the next 5 years.

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Increased maritime and defense cooperation as Dominic Raab, UK Foreign Secretary visits India and has talks with Jaishankar, India's External Affairs minister. For the UK there is no stronger partner than India looking east, says Raab. India, UK and Australia form a core of the British Commonwealth of nations, an idea that brings together the English speaking world in Asia and Africa. After Brexit Britain is free to form its own relationships based on its history, and links of culture and language. Boris Johnson will visit India in January 2021.

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2.9 million Americans live in vans for most of the year down 6% in 2023, according to one estimate. It is'nt easy as it means finding places to park for the night and doing this day for long periods. Many as shown in this report are young people, some leave their state for travel, some are photographers, some have decided to explore the world outside after being stuck in one place. Others are people who have difficulty finding housing with costs beyond their reach as this engineer in Brooklyn, NY. 

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The German lower and upper houses of parliament, the Bundestag and the Bundesrat, passed legislation to end the use of coal by 2038. The phase out has two parts one is the legal avenue for reduction in emissions, the other is the regional economies of affected states. The government will provide 40 billion euros for restructuring economies, including reskilling workers and providing new infrastructure, for the effort. coal operators will also receive compensation if they announce plans for closure of coal plants by 2026.