Tokyo, April 1996. I scour the alleys of the entertainment quarter of Takadanobaba for love hotels but still don’t know what to look for. Instead, I find a business hotel for the underlings of Japan Inc. It’s modern and impeccable. The rate is reasonable, and so I book a room for tonight. I’m elated, having accomplished something on my own. I’ll spend the night with Izumi. The logistics are in place.
Friday Night Economic Indices
by Wolf Richter • • Comments Off on Friday Night Economic Indices
There still are some economic numbers that aren’t seasonally adjusted or manipulated with fancy statistical footwork by governmental, quasi-governmental, or non-governmental number mongers. And they give us the true picture of the worldwide economy: beer, wine, mood, and San Francisco real estate—with more predictive power than is allowed by law.
Austrian Central Bank: Bribery, Kickbacks, Money Laundering
by Wolf Richter • • Comments Off on Austrian Central Bank: Bribery, Kickbacks, Money Laundering
Two central bank governors in Europe have gotten into hot water recently: Philipp Hildebrand, as chairman of the Swiss National Bank; and Ewald Nowotny, governor of the Austrian National Bank and member of the ECB’s governing council. Hildebrand resigned after he tried to brush off an insider-trading scandal that is still making headlines; Nowotny is clinging to his jobs though he is tangled up in a bribery, kickback, and money-laundering scandal. But finally a major politician called for his resignation.
The Costa Concordia Tragedy with Satellite Images
by Wolf Richter • • Comments Off on The Costa Concordia Tragedy with Satellite Images
The Costa Concordia was launched on September 2, 2005, with a mishap that back then didn’t mean anything: the champagne bottle thrown against its hull didn’t break. But on January 13, at 10 pm, the mega cruise ship hit a reef near the small island of Giglio, off the coast of the Tuscany. So far, 11 bodies have been found and 23 people are still missing.
Satellite image by Digital Globe
Manufacturing Supercars in America
by Wolf Richter • • Comments Off on Manufacturing Supercars in America
Supercar enthusiasts went into a tizzy when Honda announced that it would bring its Acura NSX back to life. Design and manufacturing would be shifted from Japan to Ohio. And much of the production would be exported. It won’t add much volume to Honda’s production, but it will be a technology showcase. And a precursor that the math of manufacturing in America is changing.
‘The Old Europe’ Is ‘Not An Option For Germany’
by Wolf Richter • • Comments Off on ‘The Old Europe’ Is ‘Not An Option For Germany’
“The fact that we profit massively from the euro doesn’t mean we have to accept every political horse-trade to save the common currency,” said Anton Börner, president of Germany’s Association of Exporters—a swipe at the Italian prime minister who’d demanded that Germany dig deeper into its pockets to reduce the debt burden of other countries, such as, well, Italy. When the German industrial elite talks about exiting the Eurozone….
Crap, Sovereign Debt Downgrades Matter?
by Wolf Richter • • Comments Off on Crap, Sovereign Debt Downgrades Matter?
After they were downgraded in early August, US government bonds gained upward momentum and yields fell. Japan, which has danced the downgrade tango for years, is contemplating the next step, from AA- to A+, yet 10-year Japanese Government Bonds are yielding below 1%. Downgrades of sovereign bonds of developed countries make good headlines, but the impact on bond markets has been nil. With one exception: the Eurozone.
Love Hotel
by Wolf Richter • • Comments Off on Love Hotel
Tokyo, April 1996. Our fingers laced together, we mosey from the Imperial Palace through Hibiya Park to Ginza’s shopping avenues. She picks a café on the second floor, and we settle into Viennese-coffeehouse armchairs by a floor-to-ceiling window. I’m the only male in the place. On the menu, only the prices are legible.
Update: The Systemic Nature of Medicare Fraud
by Wolf Richter • • Comments Off on Update: The Systemic Nature of Medicare Fraud
On January 9, I posted “The Systemic Nature of Medicare Fraud” —“the kind of Medicare fraud that makes your skin crawl.” On January 10, I received an email from the Chief of Staff at Alvarado Hospital. He strongly objected to this sentence: “Its Alvarado Hospital Medical Center in San Diego already appears to be under investigation.” And it kicked off a learning process.
The Inexplicable American Consumer Takes A Breath
by Wolf Richter • • Comments Off on The Inexplicable American Consumer Takes A Breath
Consumer optimism has been rising from the morose multi-year low in August and has reached levels not seen since, well, May. It whipped hope into a froth. Rising confidence would pump up consumer spending, which would pump up everything else. But the inexplicable American consumer, the toughest creature out there that no one has been able to subdue yet, had other plans.