Monthly Archives: May 2013
Next Shoe To Drop: Shoddy Solar Panels From China
by Wolf Richter • • Comments Off on Next Shoe To Drop: Shoddy Solar Panels From China
The solar-panel price war waged by state-subsidized Chinese companies killed a slew of manufacturers worldwide. Now, much of solar-panel manufacturing takes place in China. To stay alive, they cut costs – and corners. Defects are ballooning. And “cheap” solar panels suddenly get very expensive. A cruel twist for an already threatened industry.
US Housing Bubble II: Euphoria And Other Shenanigans
by Wolf Richter • • Comments Off on US Housing Bubble II: Euphoria And Other Shenanigans
French Consumer Confidence Plunges To Financial-Crisis Low
by Wolf Richter • • Comments Off on French Consumer Confidence Plunges To Financial-Crisis Low
The confidence of consumers in France is catching up with the economic situation in their country, where the state sector, which dominates the land with 56% of the economic activity, has been hobbled by budget woes, and where the private sector, which is struggling with an inscrutable labor code and slack demand, is suffocating under a pile of new taxes.
The Financial Takeover of “Our” Newspapers
by Don Quijones • • Comments Off on The Financial Takeover of “Our” Newspapers
Black Market or Bust: The Stark Choice Facing Many of Spain’s Self-Employed
by Don Quijones • • Comments Off on Black Market or Bust: The Stark Choice Facing Many of Spain’s Self-Employed
Contributed by Don Quijones: As bank lending has dried up, Spain’s government has barely lifted a finger to help struggling self-employed workers or small enterprises. Instead, it apparently made it its mission to make their working lives as difficult as possible by ramping up their tax burden to historic highs.
Iron-Fisted Bank Of Japan Is Losing Its Grip
by Wolf Richter • • Comments Off on Iron-Fisted Bank Of Japan Is Losing Its Grip
Stability in the Japanese government bond market is “extremely desirable,” said Bank of Japan Governor Haruhiko Kuroda in a sign of just how frazzled he was after the turmoil and craziness that his over-the-edge experimental monetary policy has unleashed. But as stability eludes him, he might resort to ever more desperate measures to just hang on.
Government by Eurocrats: The EU Olive-Oil Dispenser Debacle
by Wolf Richter • • Comments Off on Government by Eurocrats: The EU Olive-Oil Dispenser Debacle
Like so many debacles in the EU, it started with the unelected European Commission. It’s immune to voters, but not to lobbyists and corporations. Under the guise of “consumer protection” or some other harmless moniker, it generates zany laws that tend to benefit large corporations. But last week, it went too far, even for Europeans.
Revealed: Apple’s “Offshore” Cash Isn’t Even Offshore
by Wolf Richter • • Comments Off on Revealed: Apple’s “Offshore” Cash Isn’t Even Offshore
Argentine Inflation: It’s Tough When All You Get Is Lies
by Wolf Richter • • Comments Off on Argentine Inflation: It’s Tough When All You Get Is Lies
The issue of inflation is complex everywhere. Official rates are disputed. People can’t reconcile them with what they see at the store. There are different formulas, resulting in different rates, and everyone picks and chooses what suits their needs. But nowhere is the issue as “complex,” infested with lies, and shrouded in obscurity as in Argentina. But 34.9%?