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GM to tap debt markets for only $3 billion depending on $10 billion of cost cutting .
07/16/2008
GM will cut spending in many areas like ad spending and marketing so as to have less dependence on loans secured against its international operation.
Linked Articles
GM Plans Debt Offering To Accompany Cost Cutting
Wall Street Journal 07/16/2008
GM Plans $10 Billion In Cuts to Bolster CashWall Street Journal 07/16/2008
Sales of the Honda Civic, Toyota Prius,Ford Focus and the Honda Fit , all smaller cars are doing well
06/20/2008
Even so Toyota will not go ahead with making the Prius at the new plant in Blue Springs, Mississippi, is a sign of the severity of the economic downturn that is shaping up for 2009 and 2010.
Linked Articles
The Smaller the Better, Automakers Are Finding
New York Times 06/20/2008
Toyota delays new Prius plantDetroit News 12/16/2008
Board meetings at GM and the how the culture and style of management stalled decisions on fuel efficiency and small car development.
05/15/2008
The evolution of the old management styles and attitudes as Ford brought in outside management and Bill Ford took a new tack, and at GM where old management plodded on inexorably in the old way. Which is quite different from what Alfred Sloan had advocated in his memoirs when he insisted on discussion and debate on critical decisions in board meetings for them to be worthwhile.
Linked Articles
BusinessWeek 05/15/2008
Bill Ford on Tipping Points and Thinking SmallBusinessWeek 07/31/2008
Imbalances in the global economy that will take time to correct- the situation in the U.S., Europe and emerging markets in 2012-2013
05/05/2008
The perception that "this time is different" is a typical behavioural reaction in history to to financial crises studied by Rogoff and Reinhart. Economic weakness is part of the mechanism for correcting global imbalances which happens over a number of years.
Linked Articles
Economy May Face Prolonged Pain, History Suggests
Wall Street Journal 05/05/2008
Boom, Bust. Repeat.Wall Street Journal 10/09/2009
FDIC Bair's proposal to aid homeowners anticipating the banking and mortagage crisis.
04/30/2008
FDIC Sheila Bair seen in retrospect after her anticipation of the mortgage and credit crisis and helping prepare FDIC for it. And for the comprehensive approach she took and which later convinced people at Treasury who had earlier adopted a case by case approach not realizing how deep and far reaching this crisis would be.
Linked Articles
Agency’s Head Expects Banking’s Crisis to Worsen
New York Times 08/27/2008
Bair Proposal Seeks Government Loans To Aid HomeownersWall Street Journal 04/30/2008
Toyota Prius hybrid- hard sell in India and China
04/21/2008
The Prius is priced around $22,000 in Japan and the U.S. In India and China it costs around $40,000 with import duties. This makes it a hard sell where pollution is a major problem.
Linked Articles
In India, 'Green Cars' Look Like a Hard Sell
Wall Street Journal 01/08/2010
In China, Hybrids Are Tough SellWall Street Journal 04/21/2008
Debt gorged Britain and the U.S.
03/22/2008
British debt is even worse than the American debt with household debt to income ratio at 1.62 in Britain compared to 1.42 in the USA. Continental cousins in Germany have a ratio of 1.09.
Linked Articles
Debt-Gorged British Start to Worry That the Party Is Ending
New York Times 03/22/2008
Frugality Forged in Today's Recession Has Potential to Outlast ItWall Street Journal 04/06/2009
Popular Eastern European automobile brands that stand for quality in Europe at low price points- Renault's Dacia in Romania
02/11/2008
The Dacia and Logan brands manufactured in Romania are expected to cross the 1 million sales mark in 2012. The Logan and Dacia have established a presence in Europe as models known for reliability. Sales of these lower cost cars are popular with buyers in France who see this as a choice replacing buying a used car.
Linked Articles
Frugal Dacia Stars in Renault's Overhaul
Wall Street Journal 02/11/2008
Renault Takes Low-Cost LeadWall Street Journal 04/16/2012
Recognition of the importance of primary care physicians in improving cost and quality of U.S. healthcare by insurance companies
01/31/2008
Linked Articles
An Rx? Pay More to Family Doctors
Wall Street Journal 01/27/2012
Group Offers Doctors Bonuses for Better CareWall Street Journal 01/31/2008
Pakistan, Islamist politicians and expectations for better lives in the modern world
01/04/2008
The older politicians who are sobering up to the realities even in the border provinces are not for militancy, and badly want better health care, and hospitals. No one will turn down better infrastructure and standards of living and employment.
Linked Articles
New York Times 01/06/2008
Islamist Politicians Emerge As Pakistan's Power BrokersWall Street Journal 01/04/2008
Renault's experience with Dacia in Romania and VW's experience with Skoda in the Czech Republic
10/01/2007
VW's investment in Czech Republic Skoda plant to turn out a highly successful car is similiar to the investment by Renault in Romania's Dacia Automobile SA.
Linked Articles
Frugal Dacia Stars in Renault's Overhaul
Wall Street Journal 02/11/2008
Skoda Means Quality. ReallyBusinessWeek 10/01/2007
Employment in the auto industry, GDP growth targets and increasing auto emissions in China's cities
06/13/2006
Environmental pollution in China's cities and increasing auto emissions that pose dangers to health. The situation in 2007 was deteriorating . By 2013 Beijing was seeing air quality extremes of 700 micrograms per square meter, with 500 routine. WHO standards show 300 micrograms as dangerous for health. Pressure to push for GDP growth is intense for local officals and the environmental agency lacked powers for enforcement. The car population was doubling every few years in this period 2000-2012.
Linked Articles
As China's Auto Market Booms, Leaders Clash Over Heavy Toll
Wall Street Journal 06/13/2006
As China Roars, Pollution Reaches Deadly ExtremesNew York Times 08/26/2007
The apathy in GM's Board with an ever downward spiral.
07/07/2008
GM's Board is not having the vigorous discussion that one expects to see in a company going on a downward spiral.
Linked Articles
GM's Massive Quarterly Loss Adds to Turnaround Pressure
Wall Street Journal 08/02/2008
GM Weighs More Layoffs, Sale of BrandsWall Street Journal 07/07/2008
IHS Energy Associates's Yergin sees shale technologies changing the energy business by 2020, and IEA misses this completely
05/22/2008
Long term forecasting is a difficult business. IEA's 2015 forecast missed the situation in 2015 completely. Yergin was right but did not see how fast this would happen with oil prices down to $50 per barrel in 2015 and prices at the pump below $2.
Linked Articles
Wall Street Journal 12/12/2011
Energy Watchdog Warns Of Oil-Production CrunchWall Street Journal 05/22/2008
Karen Elliott House, expert on Saudi Arabia and the Middle East, on the U.S., the EU, and Saudi Arabia- demographics, aspirations and the princes 2007-2014
05/14/2008
Pulitzer prize winning journalist for reporting from the Middle East and expert on Saudi Arabia, Karen Elliott House, describes the changes in Saudi Arabia with the huge young demographic, and what it means for Saudi society, U.S.-Saudi relations, meeting the aspirations of young people.
Linked Articles
As the Middle East Burns, the Saudis Ease Up at Home
Wall Street Journal 06/25/2014
Our Friends in RiyadhWall Street Journal 05/14/2008
BMW, Benz and luxury retailers Saks, Nordstrom face declining luxury consumption.
04/30/2008
Sales at luxury retailers full priced stores are flat or declining while their factory outlets are seeing increased sales. BMW and Mercedes are taking writedowns for the drop in the value of their secondhand leased cars in the USA. This reflects declining economic conditions in April 2008.
Linked Articles
Profit Hurt, BMW Diverts Cars From U.S.
Wall Street Journal 04/30/2008
Luxury Retailers Pin Hopes on OutletsWall Street Journal 04/30/2008
The steep decline in Cherry's car sales in China and the precarious condition of the Chinese consumer- 2008
04/24/2008
The precarious condition of the Chinese consumer and first time buyer of cars, with no safety net in the economy for health care or unemployment. The severe downturn for Cherry and why GM cannot look to China for any kind of relief.
Linked Articles
With First Car, a New Life in China
New York Times 04/24/2008
China's Car Makers Seek Different Help: Lower Sales TaxesWall Street Journal 11/20/2008
ACA- Insuring the CDO's
04/03/2008
The insurance itself was not insurance but a chance to use different accounting rules to take the issuance of collateralized debt obligations to new heights. ACA was an outfit by the river issuing flood insurance. It had an A rating and was supposed to insure AAA securities.
Linked Articles
BusinessWeek 04/03/2008
Building WonderlandNew York Times 04/06/2008
Sheila Bair at FDIC has proposal to help homeowners similiar to Feldstein's
03/07/2008
Sheila Bair 's proposal to help homeowners is similar to what Martin Feldstein proposed on the pages of WSJ on March 7, 2008. About 2 months later FDIC proposes to take action to help homeowners by offering homeowners with debt to income ratios above 40%, a loan from the government for 20% of their loan amount with no interest charged for the first 5 years, and loan payments required to be lowered to affordable numbers.
Linked Articles
How to Stop the Mortgage Crisis
Wall Street Journal 03/07/2008
Bair Proposal Seeks Government Loans To Aid HomeownersWall Street Journal 04/30/2008
Default_Link_Name
02/01/2008
Apparel is a big part of the the inflation impact of Chinese goods imported to the USA. China has a large share in apparel and the prices of apparel which have been going down for many years are going up for the first time and will keep increasing.
Linked Articles
China’s Inflation Hits American Price Tags
New York Times 02/01/2008
On Clothing Racks, Inflation Is the Hot TrendNew York Times 02/23/2008
How McDonalds has changed by borrowing ideas from Starbucks and from the next generation of franchisees
01/07/2008
McDonald's takes the ideas of baristas from Starbucks and gets ideas for picture based ordering, credit card payment and community event participation from younger franchisees. Along the way it is trying to change perception of the chain as not being healthy eating. A lot remains to be done to move away from the super size obsesson.
Linked Articles
McDonald's Takes On A Weakened Starbucks
Wall Street Journal 01/07/2008
'Super Size Me' Generation Takes Over at McDonald'sWall Street Journal 03/08/2012
Reform at Pemex and opening up Mexico's oil industry to foreign investment held up for a decade and the cost to the Mexican economy
12/19/2007
Reforms at Pemex and opening up the oil industry to foreign investment were held up in the Calderon administration after repeated efforts by the PAN party government to get the PRI and PRD's support. The final changes to the bill to make it more attractive for foreign oil companies to compete with Pemex were pushed by PAN in alliance with the PRI Nieto administration in 2013. The cost to Mexico is a lost decade in oil exploration in deep waters of the Gulf of Mexico, and a steep decline in oil revenues as Mexico turned into a net energy importer in March 2013, according to the WSJ.
Linked Articles
Economist 12/19/2007
How Shale Helped Frack Mexico's Energy ImpasseWall Street Journal 12/12/2013
An earlier incident showing neglect of pipeline maintenance and quality control at BP.
08/07/2006
The oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico from deepwater drillig is only one in a line of failures in quality systems and careful preparation at BP.
Linked Articles
BP's Hayward Says Company Could Have Done More Disaster Preparation
Wall Street Journal 05/13/2010
BP to Shut an Alaska Oil Field Amid Pipeline Flaw, Small LeakWall Street Journal 08/07/2006
Friedman of NYT compared Detroit carmakers to "crack dealers."
06/02/2006
With their gasoline rebates and gasoline purchase paid credit cards to buyers of large SUV's, GM and Ford were increasing America's dangerous dependence on imported oil. Contrst that with the vigorous approach of Hyundai to fuel efficiency. And go fast forward to 2009 when Hyundai sees August 2009 sales 47% higher than August 2008 sales, Hyundai being the only large car company to increase sales by end of 2009 in the American market.
Linked Articles
Detroit's No Good, Very Bad May
BusinessWeek 06/02/2006
Hyundai Aims for Efficiency LeadWall Street Journal 09/03/2008
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