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China Currency Shift: Getting Worse More Slowly by Dave Johnson, OurFuture.org | April 9, 2010
There are rumors that China will let its currency start to rise a tiny bit. China's currency undervalued by up to 40%, which means goods made there have as much as a 40% advantage coming out of the gate, even before their other rulebreaking trade schemes kick in. read more »Is China Trading Fair? CAF v. CATO on CNBC by Dave Johnson, OurFuture.org | April 8, 2010
Building a Green Economy by Paul Krugman, The New York Times | April 8, 2010
If you listen to climate scientists — and despite the relentless campaign to discredit their work, you should — it is long past time to do something about emissions of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases. If we continue with business as usual, they say, we are facing a rise in global temperatures that will be little short of apocalyptic. And to avoid that apocalypse, we have to wean our economy from the use of fossil fuels, coal above all. But is it possible to make drastic cuts in greenhouse-gas emissions without destroying our economy? read more »Happy 75th, WPA: Its Genius Holds Lessons For Today's Jobs Crisis by Mike Elk, OurFuture.org | April 8, 2010
This week marks the 75th anniversary of the Work Progress Administration, the New Deal centerpiece that helped end the Great Depression by directly creating 3.3 million jobs. As we have just experienced the steepest job losses since then, let’s take a moment to remind ourselves the economic lessons we learned from that historic program. read more »Lumbering Towards A Greater Depression by Natasha Chart, OurFuture.org | April 8, 2010
There's a term for what the trade policies now practiced by the Chinese government, practices that Dave Johnson correctly noted are hurting the whole world's economy for what will ultimately prove to be a temporary advantage for China if the economies of their trading partners should more fully collapse: "beggar thy neighbor." read more »Understanding Why The China Currency Issue Matters by Dave Johnson, OurFuture.org | April 7, 2010
China has been very smart about looking out for its own interests. read more »The Last Factory in America by Gilbert B. Kaplan, Huffington Post | April 7, 2010
The Sociopaths Who Make Federal Energy, Work Safety Policies by Natasha Chart, OurFuture.org | April 6, 2010
One of the hardest things about training people for combat is that human beings are normally strongly averse, to put it mildly, to killing each other, or even being indirectly responsible for someone's death. read more »Trading Jobs For Diplomacy? by Dave Johnson, OurFuture.org | April 6, 2010
The Obama administration appears to have backed off from pressuring China to revalue its currency, for now, likely in exchange for diplomatic concessions including helping to pressure Iran on nukes. Chinese currency revaluation is about jobs, because currently China enjoys a competitive head start of up to 40% lower prices because they are keeping their currency too low. read more »Peterson Deficit Summit To Examine, Recommend Latest 'Soak The Poor' Policies by Natasha Chart, OurFuture.org | April 6, 2010
This just in, yesterday: the pro-aristocracy Peter G. Peterson foundation is holding a deficit summit in Washington, DC, to highlight the terrible dangers of the government spending money in a recession. Or, mostly, to provide cover for corporate-friendly politicians who want to help their friends in the finance industry and starve the government of the resources, both political and material, needed to end regulatory capture. read more »
The Latest
More Evidence of Lack of Competitiveness of Many Chinese Exporters, nakedcapitalism.com | April 2, 2010
One argument we have made, which some readers find difficult to accept, is that China’s keeping its currency, the renminbi, at artificially cheap levels is tantamount to an across-the-board export subsidy (the proof that the RMB is artificially cheap comes via the fact that China has had to engage in massive dollar purchases to keep the RMB pegged at its target level. read more »
Holding back job growth? Workers' awesome output, The Washington Post | April 1, 2010
When workers become more efficient, it's normally a good thing. But lately, it has acted as a powerful brake on job creation. And the question of whether the recent surge in productivity has run its course is the key to whether job growth is finally poised to take off. read more »
U.S. solar startup says sold out through 2010, Reuters | April 1, 2010
The company raised $75 million last year in a financing round led by private equity firm Warburg Pincus LLC to expand its manufacturing capacity.
Demand for solar power products has rebounded after a difficult 2009, when the global credit crisis dried up financing for new projects and panel prices plummeted. read more »
Geithner visit to focus on industry, post-gazette.com | March 31, 2010
U.S. Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner is scheduled to arrive in Pittsburgh today, where he will be greeted by a chorus of calls to bolster ailing U.S. manufacturers by taking action against China's currency and trade policies. read more »
G-20 Leaders Seek Cooperation on Currencies for Balanced Growth, Business Week | March 31, 2010
President Barack Obama and four other Group of 20 leaders said currencies should be taken into account in efforts to deliver balanced global growth, a statement that may presage increased international pressure on China. read more »
GE Says European, U.K. Policy Drove Offshore Wind Investment, bloomberg.com | March 26, 2010
General Electric Co. plans to invest 340 million euros ($453 million) in developing and expanding wind-turbine operations in the U.K. and three European countries because of the region’s long-term support of renewable energy, the company’s power and water division chief said. read more »
A rail corridor along I-81 that would get traffic and the economy moving again, The Washington Post | March 26, 2010
Tool Firms Seek U.S. Aid , The Wall Street Journal | March 25, 2010
Cash-strapped small and midsize companies that supply critical parts to industrial giants are seeking a $30 billion U.S. loan-guarantee program and pressing General Motors Co. to speed up payments in hopes that other manufacturers will follow. read more »
Tool Firms Seek U.S. Aid , The Wall Street Journal | March 25, 2010
Cash-strapped small and midsize companies that supply critical parts to industrial giants are seeking a $30 billion U.S. loan-guarantee program and pressing General Motors Co. to speed up payments in hopes that other manufacturers will follow. read more »
China Officials Wrestle Publicly Over Currency, The New York Times | March 25, 2010
Chinese leaders are engaged in a bitter and unusually public struggle over whether to allow the renminbi to rise against the dollar or to escalate further a war of words with the United States over currency values. read more »
