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Strategies & Market Trends : Mish's Global Economic Trend Analysis -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Tommaso who wrote (23331)	2/10/2005 9:58:07 PM
From: microhoogle!	Respond to of 116555

I would recommend a latest model of Hyundai for now? They seem to be selling some good cars at cheaper price and their quality ratings have surged.

To: Tommaso who wrote (23331)	2/10/2005 10:26:38 PM
From: RealMuLan	Read Replies (2) \| Respond to of 116555

I actually agree with you<g>. They should stick to the car market in developing countries. Customers there are much easier to deal with and the market is far less competitive. That said, plenty of US cars break down often too. I had a Ford Taurus for a year or so, gave me plenty of trouble. Pontiac is pretty lousy too<g> Rule of thumb, you get what you paid for. Good technicians in China do not work too cheap either. I saw some workers from Shanghai VW plant posted their pay checks on the Internet, monthly pay is >15,000 Yuan, which is close to US$2,000. And I bet your water pump is not made by the Chinese workers paid that high. Otherwise, it definitely should have much better quality.

To: Tommaso who wrote (23331)	2/11/2005 12:12:05 AM
From: mishedlo	Respond to of 116555

layoffs du jour 120, Illinois' Department of Natural Resources DNR Layoffs Could Hurt Parks week.com Posted February 10, 2005 3:08pm The head of Illinois' Department of Natural Resources acknowledges that recent layoffs could cause a downward spiral in state parks. But director Joel Brunsvold says the cuts were necessary and that the DNR will have to work with the staff and its' budget. Since October, the department has sent layoff notices to more than 120 DNR staffers to help absorb a 23-million-dollar budget cut without closing parks and wildlife areas. State officials had promised the public wouldn't see outdoor services suffer. But now department officials are acknowledging that the cuts could hurt parks and natural areas. 56, Newport Rhode Island School Department Committee slates hearings for input on school closing newportdailynews.com By Sean Flynn /Daily News staff NEWPORT - The School Committee has scheduled meetings to hear from parent-teacher organizations why their elementary schools should not be shut down. Charles P. Shoemaker, chairman of the School Committee, told representatives from all the parent-teacher organizations in the city Monday night that shutting down a school, combined with a cutback in the number of teachers, will result in $1 million in savings for the School Department. "We want an early decision, which means not waiting until August, so there is a smooth transition," he said during a meeting of the Parent Leadership Council, which met before the special School Committee meeting Monday night. "I will recommend closing a school, selling the building, and using the resources to meet needs in the other schools," School Superintendent Mary C. Canole said. 12, Maxim Pharmaceuticals signonsandiego.com February 9, 2005 Shares of Maxim Pharmaceuticals fell 20 percent after the company announced a new round of layoffs in an effort to conserve cash. The San Diego drug company said it will lay off 12 of its 51 employees, most of whom were connected with development of its lead drug candidate, Ceplene. In October, Maxim laid off about half of its work force of about 100. Maxim has been in a steady downward spiral since Ceplene failed to demonstrate a clear benefit in studies of patients suffering from skin cancer and leukemia. The company said that two recent Phase II clinical trials for Ceplene, one for the treatment of Hepatitis C and the other for kidney cancer, also failed to benefit patients. Maxim's stock fell 45 cents, to close at $1.82. The company said the latest layoffs will leave enough cash to fund operations for about 17 months. An unnamed investment firm has been hired to "seek out strategic options," Maxim said in a statement [This company is terminal unless it gets taken over - mish] 55, Santee Print Works Feb. 10, 2005 - Officials with Santee Print Works in Sumter have confirmed the layoff of 55 workers. wistv.com Officials on Wednesday said increasing competition from foreign imports and a weak economy prompted the decision. Company President Martin Barocas says China has used unfair trade practices to gain a monopoly share of the textile and apparel market. Santee Print Works laid off 25 workers in January 2004. Barocas says he hopes the latest layoffs will be the last. 21, Chariho Rhode Island Regional School District School Committee thewesterlysun.com CHARIHO SENDS OUT 21 LAYOFF NOTICES By Emily Dupuis - The Sun Staff WOOD RIVER JCT. - Seeking to maintain budget flexibility and abide by state law, the Chariho Regional School District School Committee has voted not to renew contracts for 21 teachers in the next school year - at least for now. School Committee members unanimously approved the non-renewal contracts at a meeting Tuesday. Committee member Linda Lavoie, herself a Westerly teacher, arrived late and missed the vote. 100, Bank of America kansas.com Posted on Wed, Feb. 09, 2005 Bank of America cuts more One hundred employees get layoff notices as the bank plans to shut down its mortgage support operation in Wichita. BY MOLLY MCMILLIN The Wichita Eagle Employees working in Bank of America's mortgage support operation in Wichita received 60-day layoff notices on Tuesday, a bank spokeswoman confirmed. Nearly 100 people who work in the operation received the layoff notices Tuesday. Their last day will be in mid-April. "We recently... made a decision that we're going to realign our operating model and to do things a little bit differently," said bank spokeswoman Julie Davis. "As a result of that, we're no longer going to have that operation in Wichita." This is the third round of cuts since June. The company cut jobs at its mortgage loan fulfillment center in June before closing it around the end of the year. The closure was due to a reduction in loan volume, Davis said.

To: Tommaso who wrote (23331)	2/11/2005 1:20:16 AM
From: mishedlo	Read Replies (2) \| Respond to of 116555

Fed´s Stern upbeat on economy and inflation outlook Thursday, February 10, 2005 9:36:30 PM afxpress.com Fed's Stern upbeat on economy and inflation outlook WASHINGTON (AFX) - The U.S. economy is on a solid growth path with no sign of an uptick in inflation, said Gary Stern, the president of the Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis "Overall, the stage is set for further economic expansion," Stern said in a speech to a business group in Helena, MT. Stern, who has been president of the Minneapolis Fed since 1985, is a voting member of the Federal Open Market Committee this year Stern said he expected the economy to grow at a 3.5 percent to 4.0 percent growth rate over the next year or two. He added that consumer balance sheets are in "reasonably good shape," and employment is improving "Financial market conditions still seem to me to be favorable for growth," Stern said. "We still have reasonably accommodative financial market conditions." He said inflation should remain modest. "I just don't see the signs - the ingredients- that would perhaps contribute to higher inflation "There may be a few things around the edges that are worth worrying about if you really want to, but the preponderance of evidence suggests that inflation is going to stay modest," Stern said A big advocate of inflation targeting Stern repeated his support for adoption of an inflation target by the Fed Many central banks, including the Bank of England and the European Central Bank, have adopted inflation targets in recent years The FOMC discussed inflation targeting at its two-day meeting earlier this month. Fed chief Alan Greenspan has opposed setting an inflation target in the past. But some economists said a target would give the Fed credibility after Fed chief Greenspan steps down next February Stern said inflation-targeting could "institutionalize" the low-inflation approach that set the conditions for strong growth in the 1990s "The value that I see in inflation targeting is that it would build upon and formalize what we have learned from our past success and failures in policy going forward," he said