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The view that with P5+1 talks with Iran ending in no agreement, the crisis with Iran is reaching a critical stage in August 2012
08/06/2012
Israeli views on the continued development of nuclear weapons capabilities by Iran in the face of tightened sanctions and diplomatic efforts. Oren and Yadlin see this has having reached a critical stage before military action.
Linked Articles
Get ready to fight Iran - The Washington Post
Washington Post 08/18/2012
Time Is Short For Iran DiplomacyWall Street Journal 08/06/2012
The State Budget Crisis Task Force
07/17/2012
Recommendations of the Task force co-chaired by Paul Volcker and Richard Ravitch to restore the financial health of states in the U.S.
Linked Articles
In Report on Statesâ Finances, a Grim Long-Term Forecast
New York Times 07/17/2012
In Report on Statesâ Finances, a Grim Long-Term ForecastNew York Times 07/17/2012
Turkey, the U.S. and cluster bombs in Syria
06/28/2012
The U.S. stands by and takes a passive approach to artillery attacks on civilian populations and cluster bombs. Was some measure of respect lost in the process. The potential for a role with minimal cost of a no fly zone that could have prevented the air raids on civilians.
Linked Articles
Turkey Steps Up to the Assad Challenge
Wall Street Journal 06/28/2012
Syria Uses Cluster Bombs to Attack as Many Civilians as PossibleNew York Times 12/20/2012
Boeing and lessons learned from the $50 billion Dreamliner project- (1) a shift to incremental improvement for the path ahead
06/08/2012
No more moonshot projects, say CEO McInerney, and Ray Conner, head of the airplanes division. The cost of the Dreamliner exceeds $50 billion by 2015, according to Barclays Capital, including R&D and related costs. The focus is now on incremental change, on striving for simplicity, reducing complexity, and increasing reliability, after the experience of over 3 years of repeated delays, cost overruns, and reliability failures, high complexity, and overloaded manufacturing processes on the Dreamliner project.
Linked Articles
At Boeing, Innovation Means Small Steps, Not Giant Leaps
Wall Street Journal 04/03/2015
Boeing Hits a MilestoneWall Street Journal 06/08/2012
Span's Cajas Savings bank, problems with managment and culture, lack of financial controls, and the large losses from the real estate bubble
05/24/2012
Bankia was the new name for seven troubled cajas savings banks that were merged. The failure of the government's handling of the bad real estate debt, the collapse of the IPO price for bankia's IPO, and the insovency followed by takeover of Bankia by the government, is what led to the $125 recapitalization request by Spain to the EU. The cajas in Galicia give an insight into the operation of these savings banks, in many cases run by leaders who became influential in the political system and expanded healvily int real estate during the bubble years. Management remained in place for decades with authoritarian leaders and there were no financial controls.
Linked Articles
Clash of Cultures Upends Spain's Cajas
New York Times 08/20/2012
Spain to Recapitalize Bankia in Latest BailoutWall Street Journal 05/24/2012
Mexico's internationally respected voice Nobel Laureate Carlos Fuentes
05/16/2012
Mexico's Nobel Laureate Carlos Fuentes.
Linked Articles
Carlos Fuentes, Mexican novelist, dies at 83 - The Washington Post
Washington Post 05/16/2012
Author Was Mexico's Leading Intellectual VoiceWall Street Journal 05/16/2012
Criticism of Japan's central bank on the lack of an activist monetary policy to support economic growth 2010-2012
05/07/2012
Shinzo Abe of the LDP, the leading candidate for prime minister after general elections in Dec. 2012, says he will appoint a new central bank chief who supports an activist monetary policy. Abe supports the BOJ setting an inflation target of 2% compared to the 1% under current Bank of Japan chief Shirakawa. Both the governing DPJ and the LDP parties are strongly critical of Shirakawa and prefer to see an activist stance against deflation similiar to the one Ben Bernanke is taking against unemployment in the U.S. Abe returns to power after becoming LDP prime minister following the government of Junichiro Koizumi.
Linked Articles
Vote Challenges Japan's Central Bank
Wall Street Journal 12/13/2012
Pressure Rises on BOJ to Reach Inflation TargetWall Street Journal 05/07/2012
Ford's Focus and Fiesta models in Europe targeted at middle class buyers suffer a steeper decline than overall sales of the European auto industry
04/26/2012
A steeper decline in sales for Ford Motor in Europe than other companies like Renault.
Linked Articles
Wall Street Journal 07/13/2012
Fordâs Challenges Mount in EuropeNew York Times 04/26/2012
Deutsche Bank's hit to its image in Germany with legal settlements and ongoing investigations 2009-2013
03/21/2012
The criminal investigation into alleged tax fraud in trading of carbon emissions certificates, the raid at Deutsche Bank's Frankfurt headquarters in Dec. 2012, and arrest of some senior executives, continues problems with the bank's image in Germany since the 2008 financial crisis. Deutsche Bank's was highly leveraged during the 2008 financial crisis and is perceived as contributing to the crisis. Changing the culture at the bank is likely to take more than the introduction of the new co-CEO arrangement in mid 2012 with Anshu Jain and Jurgen Fitschen, say experts. Germany's judiciary was critical of Fitschen for not respecting the independence of the judiciary and understanding the separation of powers for a call he made protesting the raid in the investigation.
Linked Articles
Image Remake Suffers Hit at Deutsche Bank
Wall Street Journal 12/20/2012
Deutsche Bank Lists Litany of Legal RisksWall Street Journal 03/21/2012
China's Stimulus plan in 2012-2013 and the problem of "uncoordinated, unbalanced and unsustainable development"
03/06/2012
China's premier Wen Biao told the National People's Congress, China's parliament, in March 2012, that it was urgent to tackel the "problem of uncoordinated, unbalanced, and unsustainable development." He called for "an acceleration of the transformation" of the economic model towards consumption and away from exports and infrastructure spending. The accelerated approval of 254 investment projects in May 2012 puts off this task of rebalancing development for China and the world economy. With slowing growth in China and the last Stimulus of 2008 having propelled the housing bubble, the options were limited. A decrease in the reserve requirement by 0.5% in 2012 for China's banks was not expected to spur growth because lending was not expected to increase, as the demand for loans is low. A sharp falloff in growth below 7% was feared leading to the acceleration in investment.
Linked Articles
China’s stimulus policy means trouble down the road - The Washington Post
Washington Post 05/31/2012
China Speeds Economic 'Transformation'Wall Street Journal 03/06/2012
The Indian government's plan to bring the deficit down over 5 years to 3% in 2017
02/14/2012
In response to the policy of the Reseve Bank of India (RBI), India's central bank, to hold off on interest rate changes till the government takes action in reducing the deficit, the Indian government lays out a plan to bring the deficit down to 3% by 2017, and 5.3% in the fiscal year ending March 2013. The government is under pressure to come up with an economic strategy to deal with the slowing economy with growth forecasts lowered to 5-6.5% for 2012. The risk of India's credit rating being being lowered to junk status and drastic slowdown in foreign investment is creating a crisis atmosphere after a period of indecison.
Linked Articles
India Lays Out Deficit Targets
Wall Street Journal 10/30/2012
Indian Central Banker Hits His Government's SpendingWall Street Journal 02/14/2012
Ford's focus on new models in 2009-2013
01/06/2012
Linked Articles
Revitalized Detroit Makes Bold Bets on New Models
Wall Street Journal 01/09/2012
Ford Aims to Shake Up Family Car MarketWall Street Journal 01/06/2012
China's Stimulus plans in 2012-2013 and the increasing risks of breaking by taking the unsustainable existing economic model even further
12/18/2011
Linked Articles
China’s stimulus policy means trouble down the road - The Washington Post
Washington Post 05/31/2012
Will China Break?New York Times 12/18/2011
The risks to Chrysler in 2013-2015 with delayed new and redesigned models, and higher incentive costs reducing margins
07/31/2012
Lower cash flow from the demands for new and redesigned models in a very competitive market, the higher incentives costs reducing margins, combined with losses in the Fiat European operations, will pose challenges for Marchionne in 2013-2014.
Linked Articles
Chrysler Profit Up, Cautions on Spending
Wall Street Journal 01/31/2013
In Turnabout, Chrysler Profit Offsets Fiat LossWall Street Journal 07/31/2012
Ireland sees hope in the June 28, 2012 EU deal for direct aid from the European rescue fund to banks
06/29/2012
Ireland is the only country that took on all the debt of its banks during the eurozone financial crisis. This makes the June 28 deal a particularly helpful sign for Ireland to reduce its debt load.
Linked Articles
In Ireland, Hope of Retroactive Relief
Wall Street Journal 06/29/2012
European leaders agree to use bailout fund to help banks - The Washington PostWashington Post 06/29/2012
The basics for European financial architecture go in place- ECB as single banking supervisor in the eurozone, Dec. 12, 2012
06/26/2012
Linked Articles
EU Reaches Deal on Bank Supervisor
Wall Street Journal 12/13/2012
Report Suggests ECB Bank SupervisionWall Street Journal 06/26/2012
The U.S. May 2012 jobs numbers of 69,000 jobs added and oil prices- reading the numbers correctly
06/04/2012
The mild winter pulled jobs into the Dec-Feb. 2012 period from the March-May 2012 period, overstaing one and understating the other say experts. The drop in U.S. oil prices to $83 on June 1, 2012 should boost disposable income and personal spending acting as an offset to sluggish growth.
Linked Articles
Wonkbook: Don’t read too much into the May jobs numbers - The Washington Post
Washington Post 06/04/2012
Technically Speaking, Crude-Oil Prices in TroubleWall Street Journal 06/04/2012
How JP Morgan Chase let its London trading desk operate without risk management controls leading to large losses
05/18/2012
CEO Dimon is described as distracted by other issues. Ina Drew, the seasoned head of the Chief Investment that manages a $300 billionplus portfolio after the merger of other failed banks into JP Morgan Chase in 2008-2009, contracts Lyme disease in 2010 and is no longer the hands on person when she returns in 2011. Ms. Duersten, in charge of the North American trading desk at the New York office leaves in 2011 after 16 years at Chase. The controls over the London trading desk from New York are slipping away and Mr. Iksil and Mr. Macris of the London trading desk take massive trading positions to expose Chase to large losses. CEO Dimon learns about the Chase trading positions and the London Whale (Mr Iksil) from the Wall Street Journal on April 6, 2012, for the first time, astounding the business community and the financial world.
Linked Articles
Discord at JPMorgan Investment Office Blamed in Huge Loss
New York Times 05/19/2012
Inside J.P. Morgan's BlunderWall Street Journal 05/18/2012
Declining sales of gasoline model cars in India, higher rates on car loans, and a severe slowdown in the automobile market
05/07/2012
Linked Articles
In India, Subsidies Upend Car Sales
Wall Street Journal 07/02/2012
Maruti Suzuki Plans Replacement for Alto Compact CarWall Street Journal 05/07/2012
De Anza College in Cupertino, California where a Apple co-founder got his start and the implications of tax avoidance strategies
04/28/2012
A U.S. Senate Report in May 2013 points to tax avoidance strategies by Apple, and Apple CEO Tim Cook appears before a Senate hearing. EU leaders meet in Brussels to address the problems of tax avoidance by digital companies which aggravate the budget deficits of EU countries, especially at a time of cutbacks in infrastructure spending and education that supports the digital companies access to to human resources. De Anza College in Cupertino is where on of the Apple cofounders went to school. The head of the college describes the effects of cutbacks in funding on the college. On the other side of the Atlantic Fredrik Reinfeldt, Sweden's prime minister makes a similiar case saying the digital companies need access to infrastructure and educational centres which makes the payment of taxes used to fund this necessary for the whole system not to fall into dysfunction.
Linked Articles
Apple's Tax Strategy Aims at Low-Tax States and Nations
New York Times 04/28/2012
Europe Tackles Tax EvasionWall Street Journal 05/22/2013
Toyota's strategy with the International Multipurpose Vehicle (IMV) and Renault's with the Logan and Dacia models
04/07/2012
Toyota goes after the lower price points in emerging markets with the IMV series. Renault goes for a lower price point for buyers in its home markets in France and the rest of Europe with its Dacia and Logan models. Both are expected to cross the 1 million mark sales point in 2012. Renault achieves a 6% operating margin on the low price point vehicles priced at around $10,000, breaking the myth that lower price points cannot generate profits.
Linked Articles
Toyota Pushes Emerging-Markets Production
Wall Street Journal 04/07/2012
Renault Takes Low-Cost LeadWall Street Journal 04/16/2012
Greece's long delayed bond swap with European banks of March 9, 2012
03/09/2012
The bond swap of new bonds with long maturities reflecting a writedown of 53.5% for the old bonds with short maturities was finally achieved on March 9, 2012. By this time Greece's economy was shrinking badly and the new bonds were trading at levels that reflected the need for further writedowns only days after the deal. Prof. Cochrane at the University of Chicago and Prof. John Taylor at Stanford say French and German banks exaggerated the effects of contagion from the beginning to delay writedowns for as long as possible. The effects on the eurozone of the delays in tackling the problem early and decisively are negative or slowing growth and is likely to hurt the banks operating in that environment, raising questions about the wisdom of that strategy.
Linked Articles
Wall Street Journal 03/09/2012
Greece Passes Key Debt TestWall Street Journal 03/09/2012
The dire need for a free trade agreement between India and Pakistan
03/01/2012
Trade between India and Pakistan was only $2.7 billion. This is smaller than India's trade with Sri Lanka. Michael Boskin, who was instrumental in setting up the North American Free Trade Agreement says trade models suggest that this should be around $50 billion, or 20 times larger, and would bring benefits in wages and economic conditions in the two countries.
Linked Articles
A Passage to India-Pakistan Peace
Wall Street Journal 04/16/2012
Pakistan to Ease India Trade LimitsWall Street Journal 03/01/2012
Research in motion's Blackberry faces steady decline with slow sales of Blackberry 7 smartphones
01/28/2012
Blackberry takes a $267 million writeoff on unsold Blackberry 7 model phones at retail stores in March 2012. After new CEO Thorsten Heins took over his strategy was to put put more of the new Blackberry 7 model phones into user hands. The failure to compete with new Android phones and the Apple iPhone places Research in Motion into a position from which it will be hard to recover.
Linked Articles
Wall Street Journal 03/30/2012
New RIM Chief Plots OverhaulWall Street Journal 01/28/2012
Honda's struggle to recover after the tsunami in Japan with lower margins
12/21/2011
Honda is seeing lower margins as it struggles to recover in the U.S. and other markets. Honda had to use more incentives than Toyota in the U.S. market leading to deteriorating profit margins in 2012. Sales of newer models failed to catch on making Honda dependent on the Civic and the Accord in the U.S. market. The appreciating yen added to the impact on margins with a further shift to manufacturing overseas planned as a response.
Linked Articles
Honda Pins Revival on U.S. Auto Sales
Wall Street Journal 06/01/2012
Honda Revs Up Outside JapanWall Street Journal 12/21/2011
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