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Strategies & Market Trends : Booms, Busts, and Recoveries -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Jim Willie CB who wrote (38252)	9/15/2003 12:46:19 PM
From: Haim R. Branisteanu	Read Replies (2) \| Respond to of 74559

Jim, there is no solution if the US goes it alone to rectify the wrong. There should be some kind of international cooperation and the first step would be that the developing nations should remove their peg to any currency. This will solve a myriad of problems in Asia. Those very populous nation must understand that they can not rise their standard of living by exploiting the wage differential only to their own benefit. It should be clear to them from Pakistan to India to Bangladesh to China etc. that their present fiscal policies will kill the cow they are milking and this is the Western World not only the US. Further a serious effort should be made regarding new sources of energy and the taxation of it's use. This will spread the wealth of the world natural resources and gap certain budget deficits of industrialized nations It is inconceivable that a small group of nations like OPEC, should hold the world economy hostage to their own will and even a smaller group of people should live outrageously on the expanse of the world. That is why I am supportive of the Iraq war as there are few alternatives and even a slim chance of success will relieve us of energy problem. But success in Iraq should not go it alone. What does piss me of is the fact that there are other energy resources which are not receiving the proper attention and efforts to developed them. Will bring few examples - commercial and safe breeder reactor, solar & wind power, fuel cells and methane hydrate exploration

To: Jim Willie CB who wrote (38252)	9/15/2003 1:40:22 PM
From: smolejv@gmx.net	Respond to of 74559

Hi JB: I liked the four suggested questions to be stuck like pins into the Greenspan doll next time he faces the senate committee. I actually think less (two?) would be even better to keep him from wiggling his way out. But then, there's the senator too who needs some spotlight... Good work. Chilled me reading about 12 - "18? well, maximum" - months horizon. RegZ dj

To: Jim Willie CB who wrote (38252)	9/15/2003 6:48:23 PM
From: elmatador	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 74559

Pensions weighing down I keep saying that the very pillar upon which economy stands are device of old. You buy a share today, you're buying; de facto, a debt to its employees. Now firms that prospering are in countries that? Yes, have not that burden of pension liabilities that Europe, US and Japn do. That's what explains the advantage of the countries with low cost production. Thales sticks to forecasts but profits drop By Friederike Tiesenhausen Cave in London FT.com site; Sep 15, 2003 Thales, the French aerospace and defence group, on Monday stuck by its growth forecast for the year despite a drop in first half profits after taking a charge for its UK pension commitments. Net income for the six months to June 30 fell 58 per cent to €37m ($42m) from €88m a year earlier as a result of pensions and restructuring charges that were more than double the amount in the same period in 2002. But on the back of an almost stable operating profit, France's flagship defence contractor said it expected full-year sales and operating income to grow as a result of a steady performance of its defence activities. However, the group warned that "due to the unfavourable business environment for part of its civil businesses, the level of growth was likely to remain limited". Analysts welcomed the strength of Thales' defence activities, the group's main business area, where operating margins improved to 8.4 per cent from 8.1 per cent. "The 24 per cent increase in first-half defence orders is already very attractive," said Harald Liberge-Dondoux at Aurel Leven. "And we think that they are going to benefit more from the weakness of the euro when it comes to exports." However, he cautioned that there was slight disappointment that the group did not perform better in its civil aerospace, IT and services divisions, which contributed to a 8.5 per cent fall in nominal sales at €4.56bn from €4.98bn in the first half. At stable exchange rates, the decline would have been 3.5 per cent. "We expected more encouraging updates from their civil activities," Mr Liberge-Dondoux said. Although the scale of the €43m pension provision surprised many observers, Antoine de Montille at Dexia Securities said: "It is positive news that they are addressing their pension liabilities in the UK now." Earlier than many of its French peers, Thales decided last year to calculate pensions and related costs in accordance with international accounting standards. Shares in Thales closed down 2.8 per cent at €24.96 in Paris.