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Austerity measures and economic contraction in Portugal 2010-2013- the terms of the 2011 EU-IMF loan agreement with Portugal
05/05/2011
The forecasts of higher unemployment reaching 17% and economic contraction of 7% for 2011-2013 are widely diverging from the original estimates in 2011 by EU and IMF officials. This increases the urgency for reappraisal of the terms of the original agreement including borrowing rates, giving more time to achieve deficit targets, and other action to put Portugal back on the road to growth in 2014.
Linked Articles
Portugal to Seek New Bailout Terms
Wall Street Journal 03/04/2013
Government Sees Deep Recession Ahead for PortugalNew York Times 05/05/2011
BP's steady focus on safety under CEO Bob Dudley
04/20/2011
Dudley says BP is not going to get off the path of focus on safety, and "stepping up the accelerator of performance, thats not going to happen." BP's second quarter 2012 performance reflected lower levels of production to permit maintenance and improvements in infrastructure at its deep water oil fields in the Gulf of Mexico. Similiar maintenance will be undertaken at North Sea fields in the rest of 2012. Cost cutting on maintenance and infrastructure improvements to improve profit performance created an environment that led to the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico and created huge legal liabilities.
Linked Articles
BP Posts Unexpectedly Large Loss
New York Times 07/31/2012
The Lessons of Deepwater HorizonWall Street Journal 04/20/2011
The mismatch in skills that will make it harder to bring down the unemployment rate in the U.S. in 2012-2013
03/15/2011
Labor Department and other information points to a serious skills crisis in the U.S. that will make it harder to tackle unemployment.The lack of emphasis on jobs training by the Obama administration is also making the situation harder to tackle.
Linked Articles
On Jobs, No Time for a Celebratory Beveridge
Wall Street Journal 04/11/2012
Many Workers Seen Lacking Skills for New JobsWall Street Journal 03/15/2011
Bill Gates and U.S. Fed chairman Bernanke call for investment in education
03/02/2011
The message to lawmakers at a time of spending cuts: don't shortchange education, because it is critical to America's future.
Linked Articles
Bill Gates Seeks Formula for Better Teachers
Wall Street Journal 03/22/2011
Bernanke to budget-cutting state and local governments: Don't shortchange educationWashington Post 03/02/2011
Statistical problems with China's government statistics which understate the housing bubble and overstate the rate of growth in 2011-2013
02/17/2011
Problems with data from China's Bureau of Statistics which do not accurately reflect the economic conditions in China.
Linked Articles
Chinese Data Said to Be Manipulated, Understating Slowdown
New York Times 06/22/2012
China Scraps Property Data, Clouding ViewWall Street Journal 02/17/2011
The unemployment rate and participation of young people in the U.S. labor force
01/08/2011
Linked Articles
Piecing Together the Job-Picture Puzzle
Wall Street Journal 03/12/2012
Jobless Rate Masks Depth of Labor WoesWall Street Journal 01/08/2011
The U.S. Federal Reserve's increased purchase of Treasury debt with QE1 and QE2 and only slight increase in economic growth in the U.S.
10/07/2010
IHS Global Insight, Macroeconomic Advisors, and Moodys Analytics models showing insignificant impact on U.S. from QE1, QE2 efforts. Nigel Gault, IHS Global Insight's model showing only a 0.1% increase in U.S. growth rate from $500 billion of purchases by the U.S. Federal Reserve.
Linked Articles
QE2-Inspired Stock Rally May Soon Disappear
Wall Street Journal 08/08/2011
Fed’s $2 Trillion May Buy Little Improvement in JobsBusinessWeek 10/07/2010
The threat posed by China's local government debt to China's banking and financial system
07/29/2010
Because of the opaqueness of the financial system the estimates of the local government debt varies from 27% to 42% of GDP. Prof Shih of Northwestern University, an expert on this subject, now estimates this to be $2.6 trillion or 42% of GDP. Other estimates from the National Audit Office put this at 27% and from China's central bank put this at 30%. Prof Shih's earlier estimate was 34%. Because of the large number of local government entities and the lack of transparency the figures may actually turn out to be higher as China's regulators and other analysts improve their estimates. The 42% estimate is $2.6 trillion in local government debt. China's large foreign exchange reserves of $3 trillion and low interest rates will give China some space for addressing the problem with another round of injection of capital into the banking system.
Linked Articles
Wall Street Journal 06/28/2011
Where China Hides Its DebtBusinessWeek 07/29/2010
Crisis Prevention Insights from the 2008 financial crisis to the BP oil spill and Fukushima- Chinese walls that don't work and underestimation of risk
06/11/2010
Linked Articles
Chinese Walls, Pocked With Peepholes
New York Times 06/11/2010
Recipes for Ruin, in the Gulf or on Wall StreetNew York Times 06/11/2010
strikes and wage increases in Chinese factories and the effects on inflation..
05/29/2010
Inflation reached a high of 3.1% increase in May 2010 over the previous year according to government data. The wage increases are still to be reflected in eventual inflation. The need for stronger measures such as increasing interest rates and revaluing the currency.
Linked Articles
China Inflation Rises to a 19-Month High
New York Times 06/11/2010
Unrest May Signal New Phase in China EconomyNew York Times 05/29/2010
Difficulties for Italian borrowing in capital markets
05/14/2010
Larger spreads between Italian and German bonds that add to the interest rate burden on large debt.
Linked Articles
Italy Seeks to Spur Growth, Narrowing Gap With Peers
Wall Street Journal 07/18/2011
Italy's debt fuels worriesWall Street Journal 05/14/2010
Experts Roach, Grantham, Roubini and Shiller see serious risks of a double dip recession.
05/13/2010
Dangers of another bubble from zero interest rates which reward excessive risktaking, a blow to confidence levels from some sudden event, the eurozone crisis, and a fragile world economy that has not made the normal recovery, are cited
Linked Articles
Charlie Rose Talks to Nouriel Roubini
BusinessWeek 05/13/2010
Beware a Bernanke-Fueled Market BubbleBusinessWeek 05/13/2010
Cost cutting and cost reduction strategies at Toyota and BP that misfired.
02/22/2010
It costs about $6 millon a day for BP to fix the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico in May 2010. It cost Toyota much more to make the larger recall and in lost sales and the damage to its image than the $100 million estimated saving by efforts to limit the recall.
Linked Articles
Drilling Down: A Troubled Legacy in Oil
Wall Street Journal 05/01/2010
Toyota Cited $100 Million Savings After Limiting RecallNew York Times 02/22/2010
India's central bank, the Reserve Bank of India's efforts to control inflation in 2010-2011
05/04/2011
The RBI made a a series of rate increases to control inflation.
Linked Articles
India's Inflation Is a Lesson for Fast-Growing Economies
Wall Street Journal 09/12/2011
India Lifts Benchmark Rates as Prices ClimbWall Street Journal 05/04/2011
Apple's low tax rate of 9.4% on global profits
03/24/2011
Companies ranging from Apple and Google to GE pay low tax rates. The New York Times reports that corporate share of U.S. tax receipts dropped from 30% in the 1950's to 6.6% in 2009. This has a serious impact on states and local governments and the federal government as they cut essential services and education to balance their budgets or lower deficits.
Linked Articles
Apple's Tax Strategy Aims at Low-Tax States and Nations
New York Times 04/28/2012
G.E.'s Strategies Let It Avoid Taxes AltogetherNew York Times 03/24/2011
Rapid structural shift in job openings, mismatch of skills, and the lack of a strong jobs training effort in the U.S. to reduce unemployment
03/15/2011
The lack of adequate funding and focus on jobs training in the U.S. to fill job vacancies and lower unemployment. This is becoming increasingly important with the large number of people unemployed for long periods.
Linked Articles
U.S. Faces Uphill Battle in Retraining the Jobless
Wall Street Journal 07/31/2012
Many Workers Seen Lacking Skills for New JobsWall Street Journal 03/15/2011
Bill Gates calls for targeted investment in education
02/28/2011
The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation will invest $290 million in a program to be launched at selected school districts. The programs are designed around improving teacher effectiveness and new personnel systems.
Linked Articles
Bill Gates Seeks Formula for Better Teachers
Wall Street Journal 03/22/2011
Bill Gates - How teacher development could revolutionize our schoolsWashington Post 02/28/2011
Angela Merkel's experience with the reunification of East and West Germany and her views of the eurozone crisis
01/30/2011
The perceptions of the eurozone crisis of ordinary Germans and of former East German Angela Merkel are colored by the period of reunification of the two Germany's. This was paid for with a"solidarity surcharge" tax paid by Germans amounting to $1.7 trillion and led in its early stages to 4 million unemployed in the eastern part and 20% unemployment. It took over a decade for East Germany to build new modernized industries in the larger cities of the east, but still leaves the rural parts of former East Germany in a neglected state as young peoplemoved out. During this period industry in the west also regained lost global competitiveness, especially in industries such as automobiles and advanced machinery, using wage restraint agreements with unions and increases in productivity. Germans see the need for eurozone countries in the southern part of Europe needing to make similiar sacrifices and see the tax evasion in Italy and Greece as unacceptable. The real estate bubble, the lack of transparency for banks bad loans, and out of control regional spending in Spain is also seen in a similiar light. Greece is seen as the most egregious offendor because of the bad financial accounting that grossly understated the extent of the bad loans. Less publicized in Germany is the role played in the bad loans through poor lending practices of German and French banks and that as experts have pointed out Germany was to some extent bailing out German banks when it was bailing out Greece- till German banks reduced their exposure to Greece in 2011.
Linked Articles
In former East Germany, anxious residents resent paying for Europe’s problems - The Washington Post
Washington Post 06/21/2012
Merkel's Defense of Euro Forged in East GermanyNew York Times 01/30/2011
How Samsung jumped ahead of Sony in the smartphone market- the dismal failure of the Sony-Ericsson joint venture
01/07/2011
The glaring weaknesses of the Sony-Ericsson mobile joint venture was the slow decisionmaking and the inability to take advantage of Sony's strengths in manufacturing and its companywide technological capabilities. As late as 2011 Samsung was struggling behind other competitors. A key advantage was the quick decisionmaking and marshalling of resources within the company for the smartphone effort in Samsung. The joint venture proved to be a disaster for Sony.
Linked Articles
Samsung Moves in Smartphone Race
Wall Street Journal 01/07/2011
Sony Stakes Recovery on New SmartphoneWall Street Journal 03/01/2013
Germany's second quarter 2010 growth of 9% is unsustainable.
08/14/2010
The downside to the lower unemployment rate is the rapid growth in the low-wage sector in Germany. Consumer spemding is tight in Germany and the surge in exports cannot last. The contrast between the impact of German gorwth on the countries in Northern and Southern Europe.
Linked Articles
Germany Propels Growth in Euro Zone
Wall Street Journal 08/14/2010
German Workers' Wages Belie Country's ReboundWall Street Journal 08/17/2010
BP's failure in the Gulf Oil Spill and the Justice Department settlement in Nov. 2012
06/15/2010
The Justice Department filed criminal charges against engineers and managers at BP citing wanton and negligent conduct.
Linked Articles
In BP Indictments, U.S. Shifts to Hold Individuals Accountable
New York Times 11/15/2012
Oil Executives Try to Explain Differences From BPNew York Times 06/15/2010
Crisis Prevention Insights from the 2008 financial crisis to the BP oil spill and Fukushima- the role of "human failure"
06/11/2010
Linked Articles
The Oil Disaster Is About Human, Not System, Failure
Wall Street Journal 06/11/2010
Report blasts Japan’s preparation for, response to Fukushima disaster - The Washington PostWashington Post 07/06/2012
Apple products at manufacturing plants in China and at retail stores in the U.S.- low worker pay and lack of future prospects
05/29/2010
The high margins for Apple achieved through a combination of keeping costs low- even at the risk of providing poor wage and working conditions for the majority of employees employed in the retail stores in the U.S. and in supplier Foxconn plants in China- and by a grasp for innovation and technology. The paradox of a well deserved image for pioneering in technological innovation and the indifference to working conditions and prospects for employees who add value in manufacturing and customer interface. This model of growth is a recent development, put in place after 1997. In 1995-1997 Apple was nearing collapse under Michael Spindler and Gil Amelio, as documented by WSJ technology reporter Jim Carlton in his book- "Apple- The Inside Story of Intrigue, Egomania, and Business Blunders." Steve Jobs returned as CEO in 1997 and set the future course and this model in place emphasizing design, his ability to grasp technologies that would appeal to customers, and hired Tim Cook to set up the manufacturing which had high rate of defects and higher costs. The model was as full of paradoxes, of genius combined with mediocre behavioursas the man Steve Jobs. Tim Cook has responded to criticism in 2012 by having the Fair Labor association audit Foxconn plants in China. Foxconn increased wages in 2012, shifted plants to the interior of China, and increased use of robotics.
Linked Articles
Wall Street Journal 05/29/2010
Apple Stores Army, Long on Loyalty but Short on PayNew York Times 06/23/2012
Experts like Shiller and Roubini about see dangers of a double dip recession.
05/13/2010
Prolonged period of zero interest rates that encourage excessive risktaking, and declining confidence levels with higher uncertainty, pose serious dangers.
Linked Articles
Charlie Rose Talks to Nouriel Roubini
BusinessWeek 05/13/2010
Fear of a Double Dip Could Cause OneNew York Times 05/14/2010
Failures at BP and a White House approach too dependent on BP for controlling the Oil Spill.
05/01/2010
A long history of failures at BP and the slow indecisive action of the Obama administration.
Linked Articles
In Gulf, It Was Unclear Who Was in Charge of Rig
New York Times 06/05/2010
Drilling Down: A Troubled Legacy in OilWall Street Journal 05/01/2010
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