Europe – Germany

Putin Parties With German Ex-Chancellor, Sanctions Be Damned

by Wolf Richter •  • Comments Off on Putin Parties With German Ex-Chancellor, Sanctions Be Damned

Putin is a master at this game. Even as the sanction spiral is supposed to strangle his ambitions for the Ukraine, he set up a photo op of incomparable ingenuity. And his confidant, ex-Chancellor of Germany Gerhard Schröder stepped in it with gusto.

LEAKED: Draghi’s Sudden Switcheroo On QE

by Wolf Richter •  • Comments Off on LEAKED: Draghi’s Sudden Switcheroo On QE

It happened at a private meeting with top lawmakers in Germany during a two-day shindig.

Turns Out, Even The Price of Beer Is Rigged

by Wolf Richter •  • Comments Off on Turns Out, Even The Price of Beer Is Rigged

Everything is rigged. Stock markets, forex, interest rates, gold, silver, oil…. After battling that rigged world all day, you finally get to take that first big gulp of beer to heal the wounds, knowing that it’s the one thing that hasn’t been rigged against you. Or so you’d think.

Dollar Hegemony Under Attack By Export-Superpowers Germany and China

by Wolf Richter •  • Comments Off on Dollar Hegemony Under Attack By Export-Superpowers Germany and China

The word dollar didn’t even come up when the Bundesbank signed the agreement with the People’s Bank of China. President Xi Jinping and Chancellor Angela Merkel looked on. It was serious business. Everyone knew what this was about. No one had to say it.

German Industry Goes To See Uncle Putin

by Wolf Richter •  • Comments Off on German Industry Goes To See Uncle Putin

The intricate and convoluted connections between Germany and Russia exude a peculiar aroma.

German Exporters Fire Warning Shot About Russia “Sanction-Spiral,” Banks At Risk

by Wolf Richter •  • Comments Off on German Exporters Fire Warning Shot About Russia “Sanction-Spiral,” Banks At Risk

It took a while. But it had to come, the public warning shot – after some ferocious lobbying behind closed doors. No one in Germany is allowed to get in the way of the sacrosanct exporters. The German economy, to the chagrin of neighboring countries, is based on them.

The Mind-Game Of “Fixing” Europe’s Big Zombie Banks

by Wolf Richter •  • Comments Off on The Mind-Game Of “Fixing” Europe’s Big Zombie Banks

Danièle Nouy, chair of the ECB’s newfangled bank regulator that doesn’t exist yet, had a term for it: “do whatever has to be done” so that the banking sector “is seen as sound and safe and transparent.” Is seen as…. Smoke and mirrors.

German High Court Blows Up Euro, Says ‘Oh Wait,’ Abdicates

by Wolf Richter •  • Comments Off on German High Court Blows Up Euro, Says ‘Oh Wait,’ Abdicates

The ECB’s money-printing and bond-buying promise, lovingly dubbed Outright Monetary Transactions, became the bailing wire and duct tape that has kept the Eurozone together to this day. Turns out, it’s illegal under the EU treaties and unconstitutional in Germany.

No Wonder German Workers Drag Down Retail Sales – And Much Of The Economy

by Wolf Richter •  • Comments Off on No Wonder German Workers Drag Down Retail Sales – And Much Of The Economy

Not that 2013 was such a great year in Germany, economically speaking, with growth stalling at barely above the zero line. But it was a superb year for extracting taxes from hard-working people. And it shoved Germany deeper into two decades of retail quagmire.

German Economy Wobbles Between Shrinkage And Stagnation, Stocks Soar

by Wolf Richter •  • Comments Off on German Economy Wobbles Between Shrinkage And Stagnation, Stocks Soar

Since 2012, German economic growth has been back where it was when Germany was called the “Sick Man of Europe.” Only this time, Germany has been anointed the model economy for others to follow and admire.