The Looming Trade War With China « Great Speculations – Forbes.com

Posted by Matt in March 17th, 2010 | 1 comment

Published in Trade, Bottom Line, China, Corporations, Diplomatic Pressure, End Result, Forbes, Google, Governments, Lead, Recession, Speculations, Trade War, Ugly

The bottom line is that corporations are finding it much more difficult and costly to make a buck in China. Others may follow Google’s lead and leave the country entirely. Or, they may complain to their governments to apply diplomatic pressure. The end result could be an ugly trade war, which would hurt all parties [...]

U.S. states: Running with the PIIGS

Posted by Matt in March 16th, 2010 | no comment

Published in Financial Crisis, Crisis Zone, Gdp, Gdp Ratio, Governments, Greece, Key Ratios, Lines In The Sand, Pig, PIIGS, Running

There are two key ratios used to highlight when a government is reaching the crisis zone of fiscal imbalance: the debt-to-GDP ratio and deficit-as-a-percentage-of-GDP. Historically, a debt-to-GDP of north of 90% and a deficit-as-a-percentage-of-GDP north of 10% have been the lines in the sand to watch. As governments cross these barriers, they enter the Pig [...]

Is Financial Regulatory Reform Possible?

Posted by Matt in March 16th, 2010 | no comment

Published in Financial Crisis, Banking Sector, Europe And America, Financial Crisis, Financial Regulation, Global Banking, Governments, Oversight, Regulatory Reform, Tensions, Trans Atlantic, Visions

Europe and America Wrestle over Tighter Financial Regulation
In the wake of the financial crisis, governments in Europe and the US sought to rein in the global banking sector. One year later, little has been accomplished — and success in the near future seems doubtful. Competing oversight visions could increase trans-Atlantic tensions.
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Four New Gay Rights Battlegrounds – By Peter Williams | Foreign Policy

Posted by Matt in March 9th, 2010 | no comment

Published in general, Africa, Asia, Countries, Equality, Face, Foreign Policy, Gay Rights, Governments, Peter Williams, Rights Movements

They’re here, they’re queer, and governments from Africa to Asia don’t quite know what to do about it. Four countries where gay rights movements face an upward battle for equality.
Four New Gay Rights Battlegrounds – By Peter Williams | Foreign Policy

Alpine Jihad: Libya’s Gadhafi Declares Holy War Against Switzerland – SPIEGEL ONLINE – News – International

Posted by Matt in February 26th, 2010 | no comment

Published in Islam, Aline Skaf, Alpine, Billions Of Dollars, Diplomats, Gadhafi, Governments, Hannibal, Holy War, Jihad, Libya, Luxury Hotel, News International, Odds, Oil Supplies, Servants, Spiegel, Spiegel Online, Swiss Banks, Swiss Police, Switzerland News

The Swiss and Libyan governments have been at odds since 2008, when Swiss police arrested Ghadafi’s son Hannibal and Hannibal’s wife, the model Aline Skaf. The couple was charged with abusing servants in a luxury hotel. They were quickly released on bail, and officials soon dropped charges, but Libya responded by withdrawing billions of dollars [...]

The next crisis: prepare for peak oil – WSJ.com

Posted by Matt in February 10th, 2010 | no comment

Published in Oil, Corporations, Energy Crisis, Energy Efficiency, Energy Sources, Global Downturn, Global Production, Governments, More Than Five Years, peak oil, PeakOil, Wsj

… while the global downturn may have delayed it by a couple of years, peak oil—the point at which global production reaches its maximum—is no more than five years away. Governments and corporations need to use the intervening years to speed up the development of and move toward other energy sources and increased energy efficiency. [...]

MIDDLE EAST: Looming regional war involving Syria, Israel and Lebanon — or more hot air? | Babylon & Beyond | Los Angeles Times

Posted by Matt in February 5th, 2010 | no comment

Published in Middle East, Amp, Babylon, Few Days, Governments, Hot Air, Israel, Lebanon, Los Angeles Times, Middle East, Regional War, Sake, State Security, Status Quo, Syria

This is not more hot air, but the article seems to imply it.
Israel and Syria have exchanged heated words in the last few days, leading many to wonder whether this new round of threats is leading up to a regional war, or is merely a bluffing contest to maintain the status quo that allows both [...]

Sovereign Debt Issues Threaten Global Economic Rebound

Posted by Matt in February 3rd, 2010 | no comment

Published in Economy, Financial, Debt Issues, Debts, Economic Rebound, Epoch Times, Financial Crisis, Governments, Liquidity, Public Debt, Sovereign Debt, Sovereign Nations, Stimulus, Teetering On The Edge, World Economic Forum

Some sovereign nations are teetering on the edge of another financial crisis because of debts amassed to pump massive stimulus packages into their economies.
As a result of the increased liquidity, governments increasingly have amassed more public debt, which if continued, will become unsustainable in the long term. The threat of sovereign default, or a government’s [...]

Europe Debt on Rise; Greece Scrambles to Lower Deficit – TIME

Posted by Matt in February 2nd, 2010 | no comment

Published in Economy, Europe, Balanced Budgets, Budget, Club Europe, Fiscal Year, Governments, Greece, Jaws, Obama, Tight Times, Time President, Trillion

President Obama may have left jaws hanging with his proposed $3.8 trillion budget for the fiscal year 2011 — which forecasts a stunning $1.6 trillion deficit — but he’s hardly the only member of the “spend now, pay later” club. Across Europe, governments have gotten so used to embracing debt during economically tight times such [...]

Leaders Warn Recovery Could Falter – NYTimes.com

Posted by Matt in January 28th, 2010 | no comment

Published in Economy, Canada, Davos, Economic Support, Global Recovery, Governments, Job Creation, Nytimes, Policymakers, Prime Minister Stephen Harper, Stephen Harper, World Economic Forum, World Leaders

World leaders and policymakers in Davos are nervous the global recovery could falter, especially if governments withdraw support too quickly.
The recovery is “a mile wide but only an inch deep” and job creation very tentative, Canada’s Prime Minister Stephen Harper told the World Economic Forum in Davos. He urged governments to keep economic support programmes [...]