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Much needed boost from lower oil prices for eurozone countries Germany, France, Italy and Spain
10/09/2014
For countries like Germany in the eurozone with what Draghi calls "fiscal space" but did not use it, the drop in oil prices from $100 to $65 in 2014 offers relief at the right time to get back to growth in 2015.
Linked Articles
Falling Oil Prices Spur New Bets on Global Economic Growth
Wall Street Journal 12/08/2014
Merkel Hints at Economic Policy Shift in GermanyNew York Times 10/09/2014
Ways to build representation of women in Tech companies
08/13/2014
Linked Articles
Engage Girls With Tech Education, Leadership Early, Women CIOs Say
Wall Street Journal 12/04/2014
Apple Says Its Workforce Is 70% MaleWall Street Journal 08/13/2014
From Amethi to Ladakh- Exceptional NYT reporting on the 2014 parliamentary elections in India
05/09/2014
Bearak reports from Ladakh in the northern Himalayas, and Barry reports from Amethi in the Ganges valley state of Uttar Pradesh (UP), India, to give readers in America a feel for the largest parliamentary elections in the world at a turning point in the region.
Linked Articles
In Stronghold, a Gandhi Finds the Reception Is More Skeptical than Worshipful
New York Times 05/09/2014
Hikers Spread Democracy in IndiaNew York Times 05/12/2014
U.S. households debt to income ratio drops from 130% in 2007 to 108% in 2014, still above historical ratio of 90%
02/18/2014
High student debt of over $1 trillion, banks restricting home loans to higher credit scores, continuing effort to reduce credit card debt, limit spending as U.S. consumer spending recovers very gradually.
Linked Articles
Americans’ Debt-Cutting Levels Off
Wall Street Journal 12/12/2014
An Ambiguous Omen, U.S. Household Debt Begins to Rise AgainNew York Times 02/18/2014
Norway parliament's decision to divest holdings in companies 30% dependent on coal opens up the debate on coal- (1) the issue for Africa stated by the Copenhagen COnsensus
12/03/2013
Linked Articles
Norway Will Divest From Coal in Push Against Climate Change
New York Times 06/05/2015
The Poor Need Cheap Fossil FuelsNew York Times 12/03/2013
The shift of mid and large sized U.S. companies from the suburbs to city downtown locations in 2010-2015
11/01/2013
Linked Articles
Twitter Helps Revive a Seedy San Francisco Neighborhood
New York Times 11/01/2013
Companies Say Goodbye to the 'BurbsWall Street Journal 12/07/2013
Insights into the thinking of Janet Yellen and Ben Bernanke for a strong labor market before increasing interest rates
07/18/2013
Yellen is expected to look beyond the unemployment rate target of 6.5% set by Bernanke in Dec. 2012, and give emphasis to the long term unemployed. Bernanke also mention the under employment rate as an additional factor to consider.
Linked Articles
Don’t Expect Job Data Alone to Persuade Fed on Rates
New York Times 01/23/2014
Bernanke Plays Down Link Between Jobless Rate, Fed MovesWall Street Journal 07/18/2013
Ari Shavit of Haaretz and Ami Ayalon of Israel Security Agency see a new way forward for peace in the Middle East and reduction of tensions
03/12/2013
The opportunities presented by a rapidly changing Middle East are being observed by perceptive Israeli observers after decades of conflict. By defusing tensions and involving public opinion in the Middle East it provides a more lasting agreement han can be reached with individual leaders in the Middle East. It also returns to the focus to widely shared benefits of economic development of the people in the region and improvements in education, infrastructure and economic opportunity. Old ideas of secuirty are supplemented by new ideas of security.
Linked Articles
New York Times 01/01/2014
The Old Peace Is Dead, but a New Peace Is PossibleNew York Times 03/12/2013
Shell and BP see a continuing dependence on fossil fuels in the next 2-4 decades
01/16/2013
China will continue to propel global demand growth and be a major factor, with additional growth coming from India, Russia and the Middle East.
Linked Articles
Wall Street Journal 01/16/2013
Shell CEO Scripts a Leading Role for GasWall Street Journal 01/16/2013
The LNG ship Prelude and the oil drilling rig Noble Bully 1- New technology changing the prospects and look of deep water oil drilling making it safer, cost effective and increasing production
01/03/2013
Shell's experience and technological improvements are changing the way oil drilling in deep waters is done. Chevron and other companies are also developing their expertise as this is critical in reaching the more difficult to access reserves deep in the ocean floor.
Linked Articles
A Novel Ship Extends Shell's Reach
Wall Street Journal 01/03/2013
Shell Plans Boat to Tap Gas FieldsWall Street Journal 01/29/2014
China's steadily growing automobile market in 2014-2015 (1)- expanding dealer networks to Tier 2 and 3 cities by Ford Motor and Mercedes Benz
11/23/2012
China's television channel CCTV focusses on consumer issues in its program 315. VW was a focus of one of the reports on consumer issues. Problems in the U.S. for GM and Toyota are likely to keep the focus on other auto companies as well.
Linked Articles
Wall Street Journal 04/25/2014
Ford Expands Dealer Network in ChinaWall Street Journal 11/23/2012
BP's sale of its stake in TNK-BP to Rosneft and a new start in Russia
10/18/2012
The Rosneft acquisition of TNK-BP ends a fractured relationship for BP with a difficult partner. BP starts a new relationship with Rosneft, and opportunities to pursue new deals in Russia. For Rosneft the acquisition makes it the world's largest oil company with a need for western technology from BP.
Linked Articles
BP's Russia Dance Reaps a Poor Dividend
Wall Street Journal 10/23/2012
BP Nears Deal to Sell TNK-BP StakeWall Street Journal 10/18/2012
Mexico's emergence as the fourth largest exporter of cars in the world in 2012
10/02/2012
Mexico is expected to export 2.14 million cars in 2012. This makes it the fourth largest exporter after Japan, Germany, and S. Korea. Mexico is expected to overtake S. Korea in a few years. About 130,000 engineers are graduating each year from Mexico's technical universities, according to President Calderon. Mexican plants have quality and productivity that is comparable to Japanese plants for Nissan, say Carlos Ghosn, Nissan CEO.
Linked Articles
In Mexico, Auto Plants Hit the Gas
Wall Street Journal 11/20/2012
In Mexico, auto industry fuels middle class - The Washington PostWashington Post 10/02/2012
Warnings at a banking conference in Moscow in October 2014, and the ruble on the brink of collapse on Dec. 17, 2014
10/02/2014
The central bank head, Nabiullina, the Economy minister, Ulyukayev, and the head of Russia's largest bank Sberbank, German Gref, all expressed skepticism about president Putin's confidence in economic policy at a banking conference in Moscow in Oct. 2014. The architect of Russia's finances in the first and second terms of Putin, Alexei Kudrin, expressed alarm in Nov.-Dec. 2014 about lack of confidence in economic measures as the ruble took a hit from lower oil prices. The Putin administration made errors in handling economic policy leading to the ruble going to the brink of collapse by Dec. 17, 2014. This was preceded by miscalculations in policy towards the European Union and Germany leading to a loss of international confidence, and deteriorating relations with OPEC's leading member Saudi Arabia leading to OPEC's production decisions hurting Russia.
Linked Articles
Russia Introduces Measures to Calm Economic Jitters
New York Times 12/17/2014
Putin Trumpets Economic Strength, but Advisers Seem Less CertainNew York Times 10/02/2014
Questions about whether justice and accountability were accomplished in the U.S. Justice Department's settlement with Credit Suisse
05/19/2014
A WSJ editorial and a separate piece in the NYT question the assumption that justice and accountability were achieved in the U.S. government's settlement with Credit Suisse. The nagging question- is Attorney General Holder simply burnishing his image after failing to establish accountability and justice following the 2008 global financial crisis, which dealt a serious blow to America's middle class. Collective wrongdoing starts with individual actions, and holding individuals responsible establishes accountability, so that the public is protected from future actions of this nature. Somewhere since the crisis this principle has been lost in the Obama administration. A churn in management for failures is considered healthy for other American companies, and healthy for free enterprise, readers are likely to wonder why this is not so for the banks.
Linked Articles
Credit Suisse Pleads Guilty in Felony Case
New York Times 05/19/2014
Holder Convicts SwitzerlandWall Street Journal 05/21/2014
GE (General Electric) low tax rate of 4.2% in 2013, 10.3% in 2014, and the move to a normal tax rate in 2015
03/05/2014
An aggressive policy of tax reduction using GE Capital at GE leads to an astonishingly low tax rate. Shareholders see the uncertainty from GE Capital's volatile earnings and tax strategies with great skepticism. GE shares dropped to $6 during the 2008 global financial crisis because of GE Capital losses, and GE needed government rescue funds. The day CEO Immelt announced the decision to exit the banking business GE shares went up by 11%. GE's tax rate without the banking business will go up to about 20%.
Linked Articles
Price of Selling GE Capital? Tax Breaks
Wall Street Journal 04/14/2015
How corporate America is losing the debate on taxesWashington Post 03/05/2014
A major problem for western oil companies- the rapid increase in cost of oil and gas exploration and pipelines
01/29/2014
Projects are exceeding estimates and costs tripling or quadrupling in some cases. The search for solutions includes building processing plants for LNG on ships to eliminate the cost of building pipelines.
Linked Articles
Shell Plans Boat to Tap Gas Fields
Wall Street Journal 01/29/2014
Big Oil Companies Struggle to Justify Soaring Project CostsWall Street Journal 01/29/2014
Greece and EU in 2015- (3) How do people in Europe see the European Project? How do Greeks see the European Project?
11/04/2013
Linked Articles
Support for the European Union Is Rising, Survey Suggests
New York Times 06/02/2015
Athens's Love Affair With the Euro PersistsWall Street Journal 11/04/2013
Why China and India see a "win-win spirit" in the Iran nuclear deal of July 2015- access to lower cost oil supplies for an extended period
08/21/2013
With the need to boost growth in India, and slowing growth in China, the prospect of lower cost Iranian oil imports is a bright spot for both countries.
Linked Articles
Oil-Thirsty China a Winner in Iran Deal
Wall Street Journal 07/15/2015
Rupee Throws Oil on India's Subsidy ProblemWall Street Journal 08/21/2013
Norway parliament's decision to divest holdings in companies 30% dependent on coal opens up the debate on coal- (2) a study showing 5 years less life expectancy in areas north of the Yangste river in China
07/09/2013
Linked Articles
Norway Will Divest From Coal in Push Against Climate Change
New York Times 06/05/2015
Air Pollution From Coal Use Cuts Lifespans in China, Study ShowsWall Street Journal 07/09/2013
Losses and management turnover at mining companies leading to scaling back of orders of mining equipment and Caterpillar performance
01/18/2013
Losses at Rio Tinto and Anglo-American with risky projects is leading to management turnover and a scaling back in investment. The lower commodity prices, declining growth in China and risk averse strategies in turn affects Caterpillar's growth in its key mining equipment business. Analysts do not expect the situation to improve till 2015.
Linked Articles
Caterpillar Chief Faults China Unit
Wall Street Journal 01/29/2013
Miner Rio Tinto Ousts CEO as Bad Bets Cost BillionsWall Street Journal 01/18/2013
2012 FTC Bureau of Competition report on Google's anti-competitive practices and staffers recommending anti-trust lawsuit
01/04/2013
Linked Articles
Administration's Tough Talk Belies Cautious Approach on Antitrust
Wall Street Journal 01/04/2013
Inside the U.S. Antitrust Probe of GoogleWall Street Journal 03/20/2015
U.S. Fed chairman Bernanke's activist interest rate policies to tackle high unemployment and central bankers from MIT
12/12/2012
A pragmatic activist focus in economic thinking shaped at the MIT economics department in Cambridge, Masachusetts. The ECB's Mario Draghi, Bank of England's Mervyn King, and Bernanke shaped their thinking at MIT. Draghi and Bernanke had the same PhD. advisor- Stanley Fischer. Factors calling for a pragmatic approach include the lack of political agreement on th deficit, the housing and foreclosure crisis effects, higher inequality and unemployment effects on the middle class, the effects of the globalized economy on working class manufacturing jobs, people dropping out of the labor foce, and lower inflation, which called for a larger focus on unemployment. Bernanke emphasized the "enormous waste in human potential and productive resources of the economy" throughout 2009-2012. Draghi emphasized the abnormal nature of excessive borrowing interest rates for Italy and Spain during the ECB's bond buying efforts in 2011-2012. Both efforts had a stabilizing effect on the economies of the U.S. and Europe during a period of political discord about future policy.
Linked Articles
Wall Street Journal 12/13/2012
MIT Forged Activist Views of Central Bank Role and Cinched Central Bankers' TiesWall Street Journal 12/12/2012
The weakness in Ford Motor Company's improved results and recovery in 2011-2013
10/30/2012
Ford Europe is one cause for concern. Another problem is the lower market share in light vehicle sales in 2012 and the deteriorating quality and reliability ratings for cars.
Linked Articles
Ford Results Show Power of U.S. Operations
Wall Street Journal 10/30/2012
Ford's Purring, but Its Cars Aren'tWall Street Journal 10/31/2012
Russian president Putin and BP's 20% stake in Rosneft
10/18/2012
Putin sees the larger British ownership stake in Rosneft a offering more stability to the company. This also provides Russia with a reliable partner on other projects and access to new technology. Putin defended the deal for Rosneft to acquire TNK-BP because of the endless conflicts between the partners, which he says he warned against at the outset. He pointed to the 50-50 ownership arrangement in TNK-BP as inherently unstable leaving no one in control.
Linked Articles
Moscow Had 'Mixed Feelings' on TNK-BP Deal, Putin Says
Wall Street Journal 10/25/2012
BP Nears Deal to Sell TNK-BP StakeWall Street Journal 10/18/2012
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