China's purchases of dollars create a 33 percent subsidy on its exports, and are having a devastating effect on U.S. workers with only a high school education or only some college or technical training, ... Were foreign governments to stop manipulating currency markets, the trade deficit would be cut in half. (That) would increase GDP growth to about 5 percent a year and create as many as five million additional new jobs over the next three years. |
Clearly, inflation poses no real threat, but overly aggressive Fed interest-rate policy could torpedo the economic expansion. |
Companies cannot provide gold-plated healthcare benefits and open-ended pension commitments, |
Construction labor and construction materials will be at a premium because it's going to take so much to rebuild that area. |
Consumer spending has been pulling the wagon for a while now. That won't be the case next year. |
Consumers are strapped. Their credit cards are maxed, their energy bills are going up and they have less ability to borrow against home equity because interest rates are going higher. |
Don't look for big results. GM's current leadership is responsible for the woes at its North American operations. This is like moving around the chairs on the deck of the Titanic, ... bloated bureaucracy. |
Earnings of hourly workers have been falling for the last three years. Especially for the bottom 50 percent of the population, things have not been very good. But for the top 25 percent, real incomes have been going up rapidly. It's been caviar for the rich and cake for the rest. |
Even in North America, (Toyota's) factory labor costs are lower because it pays a bit less for labor and is not encumbered by excessive benefit costs. |
Even in North America, (Toyota's) factory labor costs are lower because it pays a bit less for labor and is not encumbered by excessive benefit costs. |
Gasoline prices did rise in January. Spot prices for natural gas fell in December and January, but it is not clear how much of these markdowns filtered through to homeowners and commercial consumers. |
GM cannot go on providing the level of benefits they have been, if they want to stay in the business. It's not a matter of providing fewer benefits to increase profits, it's a matter of choosing to pay benefits it can afford, or getting to a place where it cannot pay anything at all. |
GM really has no choice but to do this. It really can't afford to carry the pension benefits it has. It's a matter of choosing to pay benefits it can afford, or getting to a place where it cannot pay anything at all. |
GM's 'employee discount' promotion established GM can sell vehicles if it sets prices at what consumers are willing to pay and makes those prices clear, ... Unfortunately, the public is not willing to pay what it costs to make GM cars and trucks. |
GM's 'employee discount' promotion established GM can sell vehicles if it sets prices at what consumers are willing to pay and makes those prices clear. Unfortunately, the public is not willing to pay what it costs to make GM cars and trucks. |