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What a difference a year makes for the government bonds of Italy and Spain
10/02/2012
ECB chief, Mario Draghi made the famous statement on July 23, 2012, that he would "do whatever it takes" to bring down the yields on the government bonds of Italy and Spain. These bond yields had reached 7.5%, worsening the debt position of the two countries. A year later in August 2013 the bond yields were down, the gap with German bond yields narrowed, and the first signs of recovery in the eurozone made investment in the bonds of Italy and Spain attractive. Emerging market debt faced the opposite of what they faced in July 2013, as the currencies of India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Turkey, Brazil and other developing countries depreciated significantly. As the U.S. Federal Reserve begins its pull back from its monetary easing policy capital flows and foreign investment to to emerging markets reversed causing grief in countries which depended on these inflows to finance deficits in the current account.
Linked Articles
How ECB Chief Outflanked German Foe in Fight for Euro
Wall Street Journal 10/02/2012
Europe Bonds May Offer More ValueWall Street Journal 08/23/2013
President Obama's second term- (3) failure to lead on the domestic front and how it relates to Syria-Iraq, the careful observations of Panetta and Woodward
09/07/2012
Leon Panetta, U.S. Defense Secretary under Obama, who was also U.S. president Clinton's chief of staff, and Bob Woodward, renown Washington Post journalist, say Obama failed to lead on domestic policy issues and his own agenda during the first term.
Linked Articles
Wall Street Journal 09/07/2012
Former Defense Chief Panetta Criticizes Obama in New MemoirWall Street Journal 10/07/2014
Greece's Path Back (5)- Negotiation after Negotiation for a Greece that "is really bleeding" 2011-2012
08/24/2012
Linked Articles
France, Germany Unify Approach to Greek Talks
Wall Street Journal 08/24/2012
Europe Gives Greece Two More Years for Budget CutsNew York Times 11/12/2012
Canada's DBRS, a little known credit ratings firm that made a large difference for the credit ratings of Italy and Spain
08/09/2012
Canada's DBRS put less weight on the political shifts in Italy and more on the low growth rate. It rated Italy A (low) in November 2013, much higher than the ratings given by Moody's and S&P. This was important in the eurozone crisis because the European Central Bank uses the highest rating on a sovereign country's bonds to decide discounts on collateral pledged by banks to the ECB. DBRS has more faith in the lasting value of the euro and sees through the ups and downs of the crisis. It takes a similiar upbeat long term view of Spain. DBRS has credibility because it did not move ratings up as much before the 2008 financial crisis, and did not move the ratings down as much during the crisis, as the large credit ratings firms.
Linked Articles
Wall Street Journal 08/09/2012
The Key to Italy's Rating Is Kept in CanadaWall Street Journal 11/02/2013
The slow response of Spain compared to the more aggressive aproach of France
07/18/2012
The contrast between Spain's lack of strong and quick action for its banking problems and France's aggressive approach to its debt problem. Spain's problems come from the housing bubble and bad loans in parts of the banking sector especially the cajas savings banks. The lack of strong and early action by bank supervisors at the central bank and the government to cleanup the banks created conditions requiring a bailout. The problems in France which did not experience a housing bubble were the result of slow growth, rising debt and deficits. France took an aggressive approach to tackle these problems, with shared sacrifices, and setting a goal of bringing the deficit down to 3% in 2013 with its 2013 budget.
Linked Articles
France's New Budget Focuses on Cutting Deficit
New York Times 09/28/2012
Spanish Official: Slow Reaction to CrisisWall Street Journal 07/18/2012
Election of a moderate cleric Rohani as Iran's president in 2013 after years of economic discontent from international sanctions.
07/13/2012
Rohani has attended theological seminary. He also attended law school in Tehran University and in Scotland where he completed master's and doctoral degrees in law. This gives him a unique understanding of the concept of the rule of law for an Iranian cleric. He cited his achievement of avoiding international sanctions as chief nuclear negotiator fo president Khatami, contrasting this with the Ahmadinejad years during pre-election televised debates.
Linked Articles
New Iran Leader Seen as Moderating Force
Wall Street Journal 06/16/2013
Iranâs Airliners Falter Under SanctionsNew York Times 07/13/2012
The Mass at Reims Cathedral in France then and now 50 years later for a lasting reconciliation between France and Germany
07/06/2012
German chancellor Adenauer and French president De Gaulle met at Reims Cathedral in May 1962 The service commemorating the 50th anniversary of that historic meeting and service was held recently. It was an occasion to bring together two leaders with diverging opinions on the eurozone financial crisis, Merkel and Hollande. Their mentors Jacques Delors of France and Helmut Kohl of Germany played an important role in setting up the EU and its institutions.
Linked Articles
Fifty Years Later, a New Chance for Reconciliation
Wall Street Journal 07/06/2012
Germany and France Celebrate Their BondNew York Times 07/08/2012
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 Bank of Spain and failure to control the property and credit bubble
06/26/2012
At the same time that the Bank of Spain was being lauded for macroprudential supervision it was doing little to control the property and credit bubble. The Bank of Spain was slow to act after warning signals in 2008.
Linked Articles
Spanish Officials Hailed Banks as the Crisis Built
New York Times 06/26/2012
Spanish Official: Slow Reaction to CrisisWall Street Journal 07/18/2012
Greece's Path Back (4)- Yannis Stournaras and the committment to Europe
06/26/2012
Linked Articles
Yannis Stournaras Is Named New Greek Finance Minister
New York Times 06/26/2012
Greece Taps Economics Professor to Take Over Finance Minister PostWall Street Journal 06/27/2012
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
The Reagan memo with advice by George Shultz and other advisors and the Romney plan for economic recovery in 2012
05/26/2012
Similiarities in the approach of relying on the private sector for investment and job creation, with the Presidents job being to set the tone and put the right policies in place for the long term.
Linked Articles
Gramm and Hubbard: What a Romney Recovery Might Look Like
Wall Street Journal 06/06/2012
The Reagan MemoWall Street Journal 05/26/2012
The focus on reviving the economy of Mohammed Morsi, new president of Egypt
05/25/2012
Egypt faces an economic crisis as it runs out of foreign reserves to finance basic imports. Morsi's election comes at a time when the dominant issues for years in Egypt will shift from the political to the economic as it tries to catch up with other countries in the developing world in Asia and Latin America that have made significant progress.
Linked Articles
Egypt’s president is U.S. critic, but could be an ally - The Washington Post
Washington Post 06/26/2012
Muslim Brotherhood claims lead for its candidate in Egypt’s presidential election - The Washington PostWashington Post 05/25/2012
An assessment of Germany's Angela Merkel's 10 years in office (1)- from the eurozone crisis to Ukraine and the refugee crisis
09/25/2012
Linked Articles
Economist 11/11/2015
Matthew Kaminski: The Accidental Architect of a New EuropeWall Street Journal 09/25/2012
Greece's Path Back (3)- Samaras and the "best port in the storm"
08/25/2012
Linked Articles
France Reassures Greece on Euro Zone Membership
New York Times 08/25/2012
Greek Leader Wins Favor AbroadWall Street Journal 10/04/2012
The Sentier Research study that shows median American household income decline of $4019 from Jan 2009 to June 2012
08/23/2012
Worst hit groups in terms of the decline are blacks, people 55-64 nearing retirement, those with a high school diploma but no college degree. The decline affects both younger and older Americans.
Linked Articles
Big Income Losses for Those Nearing Retirement
New York Times 08/23/2012
Negative $4,019Wall Street Journal 08/25/2012
The problems facing Morgan Stanley
07/19/2012
Questions about its long term future as an independent investment banking firm.
Linked Articles
Morgan Stanley Profit Sinks on Revenue Declines
Wall Street Journal 07/20/2012
Morgan Stanley Plays Beat the ClockWall Street Journal 07/19/2012
Spain macroprudential supervision of its banking system once lauded now turns out to be "timid" and false, could the same be true for China?
07/18/2012
Spain's central bank had a reputation of providing good supervision for Spain's banking system. The problems at the Cajas Savings banks and the current assessment after the request for $125 billion in EU funds for Spain's banks shows how this turned out to be false. Does China face a similiar problem with its housing bubble. The U.S., UK and Spain, failed to control and manage the effects of a housing bubble, can China be a lone exception? Rapid growth enabled China to cope with bad loans in the banking system, with slower growth, a weak European market for exports, and a stimulus that is about one eighth the size in annual investment- one trillion yuan over 4 years in the current stimulus compared to 4 trillion over 2009-2010 in the last stimulus plan. Can China manage this bubble, does it have the experience managing this type of problem or has it papered over the problems as Spain did? This has repercussions for industries and countries from the export sector in Germany, Australia and Brazil to industries such as the German automobile industry, and companies such as Caterpillar.
Linked Articles
As China’s economy slows, real estate bubble looms - The Washington Post
Washington Post 10/03/2012
Spanish Official: Slow Reaction to CrisisWall Street Journal 07/18/2012
Spain gets an extra year till 2014 to bring budget deficits down to below 3%
07/10/2012
A decline in GDP is leading to lower tax revenues leading to a relaxation of deficit targets. Spain faces an unemployment rate of 27% in 2012
Linked Articles
Euro Zone Eases Budget Demand on Spain
Wall Street Journal 07/10/2012
Spain Braces for Renewed Austerity as Tax Take HemorrhagesUnknown 07/10/2012
Oliver Wendell Holmes, Daniel Webster, and the Roberts vote in the Supreme Courts ruling on the Obama health care law
06/30/2012
Linked Articles
Chief Justice John Roberts’s health-care ruling gets plenty of second-guessing - The Washington Post
Washington Post 06/30/2012
Charles Lane: John Roberts’s Compromise of 2012 - The Washington PostWashington Post 06/30/2012
Chief Justice Roberts and the U.S. Supreme Court's ruling on the Obama healthcare law
06/28/2012
Linked Articles
Roberts Straddles Ideological Divide
Wall Street Journal 06/29/2012
Supreme Court upholds health-care law, individual mandate - The Washington PostWashington Post 06/28/2012
China's bankers and banking now and in the future- Spain's bankers and banking then and now
06/26/2012
The importance of prudent financial management in banking. The example of Spain, the UK, other European countries and the U.S. The unanimous view of experts that China is not an exception.
Linked Articles
For a Top Chinese Banker, Profits Hinder Political Rise
Wall Street Journal 03/03/2013
Spanish Officials Hailed Banks as the Crisis BuiltNew York Times 06/26/2012
Torrelodones, Castilla La Mancha and the effort to clean up accounts in local government in Spain
06/25/2012
Wasteful spending, cronyism, corruption and lack of transparency in local government marked the years of the construction and real estate boom in Spain. Now grassroots efforts are taking place across Spain to clean up accounts, ensure transparency, and divert wasted resources to meet vital needs. Similiar efforts are taking place from Thessaloniki, Greece, to Sicily, Italy, as Europ faced with high unemployment and austerity cuts comes up with its own efforts for renewal from the bottom up setting the political elites aside.
Linked Articles
Europe's Recession Sparks Grass-Roots Political Push
Wall Street Journal 05/21/2013
A Spanish Leader Emerges as a Crusader for AusterityWall Street Journal 06/25/2012
A recovery in auto sales in the U.S. market to the annual 14 million vehicle level in 2012
06/01/2012
The aging of vehicles to about 10.8 years on average for vehicles on the road in the U.S. is supporting a reovery in the automobile market in 2012. The strong recovery for Japanese automakers in the U.S. is reducing the advantage of American automakers who benefitted from the shortages of Japanese cars after the tsunami in Japan in 2011. The recovery for Japanese automakers is uneven with Toyota doing better than Honda in the U.S.
Linked Articles
May Car Sales Keep Up Healthy Pace
New York Times 06/01/2012
U.S. Auto Sales Keep RisingWall Street Journal 06/02/2012
Obama and election advisor Plouffe- responsible governance, Simpson-Bowles and an election imprint on "everything"
05/26/2012
A White House aide says election advisor David Plouffe's influence affected "everything" in the Obama White House. Tom Friedman points to the influence of campaign consultants on the White House as overreaching and pervasive, going so far a to describe the campaign being developed in test tube fashion. Karl Rove pointed to president Obama keeping an eye on reelection 18 months before Nov. 6, 2012, as not a positive development. Friedman specifically mentions president Obama's failure to endorse the Simpson-Bowles commssion on deficit reductions as part of the imprint of election advisors because reducing tax expenditures or deductions might prove politically unpopular. Yet this was part of responsible governance to take on unpopular positions- something other presidents, including Democratic president Truman, did not fail to do choosing instead to educate pubic opiion on difficult steps needing to be taken. Truman took the decisions head on such as confronting the soviets in Greece and other parts of Europe and in Korea after the fall of the Iron Curtain, so soon after a major war when the public was weary of conflict.
Linked Articles
Obama Adviser's Strategy Is High Risk, High Reward
Wall Street Journal 10/31/2012
President Obama Should Seize the High GroundNew York Times 05/26/2012
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