Mish's Global Economic Trend Analysis |
- Obamacare Effects Hit Local Governments, Small Businesses, Temp Staffing Agencies; Chicago Dumps Retirees Into Obamacare
- How Currency Wars End: Violence Erupts in Brazil, Fatalities Reported; One Million Protest
- Ford CEO Calls Japan a "Currency Manipulator"; What Country Isn't a Manipulator?
- 800,000 Protest in Brazil Over a 10-Cent Hike in Fares and the High Cost of Staging the World Cup; Police Join Protestors; Inflation, Corruption, as Boom Comes to an End
Posted: 21 Jun 2013 11:50 AM PDT 19% of Small Businesses Reduced Employees Because of Obamacare CNBC asks and answers the question Will Obamacare Hurt Jobs? It's Already Happening, Poll Finds Small business owners' fear of the effect of the new health-care reform law on their bottom line is prompting many to hold off on hiring and even to shed jobs in some cases, a recent poll found.Local Governments Reeling Under ObamaCare Costs Investors Business Daily reports Local Governments Reeling Under ObamaCare Costs. When Regal Entertainment Group (RGC) in April blamed ObamaCare for the fact that it was cutting some of its workers' hours, backers of the law mounted a furious backlash against the theater chain, among other things filling its Facebook page with boycott threats.The Unfordable Healthcare Act IBD lists 13 examples of local government layoffs resulting from Obamacare. Here are a few of them Allegheny County, Pa.: "There's frustration and anger and sadness and resentment, you know, but you don't have a voice," said adjunct English professor Clint Benjamin in the wake of the Community College of Allegheny County's decision to cut hours for about 400 adjunct faculty and other employees so it wouldn't have to pay $6 million in ObamaCare-related fees next year. Medina, Ohio: "We feel bad as a city administration and as a council in having to cut hours from 35 to 29," Medina Mayor Dennis Hanwell said. "We have the budget to pay the people, but we do not have the budget to pay for the health care." If they hadn't made that cut, the city faced up to $1 million in new health costs courtesy of ObamaCare. Birmingham, Mich. Commissioner Gordon Rinschler may have summed up best the reaction that countless businesses and governments are having to ObamaCare, saying: "We simply can't afford the Affordable Care Act." Obamacare Pushing Indiana Schools To Cut Hours Of Coaches, Bus Drivers, Cafeteria Workers The Huffington Post reports Obamacare Pushing Indiana Schools To Cut Hours Of Coaches, Bus Drivers, Cafeteria Workers Schools throughout much of Indiana are cutting the hours of coaches, teachers aides, bus drivers, cafeteria workers and other support staff in an attempt to avoid having to offer them health insurance under the 2010 Affordable Care Act, the Louisville Courier-Journal reports. Temp Staffing Jobs Hit Record as Firms Dodge ObamaCare Costs Jed Graham, writing for Investors Business Daily reports Temp Staffing Jobs Hit Record as Firms Dodge ObamaCare Costs Temporary staffing jobs hit a record 2.68 million in May as employers look to lighten the burden of ObamaCare's regulations and fines for failing to provide full-time workers health coverage.Chicago Dumps Retirees Into Obamacare The Chicago Tribune reports Emanuel to shift retired city workers to Obamacare Mayor Rahm Emanuel plans to start reducing health insurance coverage next year for more than 30,000 retired city workers and begin shifting them to President Barack Obama's new federal system.The ill-effects of Obamacare mount every month. Mike "Mish" Shedlock http://globaleconomicanalysis.blogspot.com |
How Currency Wars End: Violence Erupts in Brazil, Fatalities Reported; One Million Protest Posted: 21 Jun 2013 10:28 AM PDT The flareup in Brazil erupted in violence overnight as millions protested corruption, inflation, bus fares and a seemingly growing list of items. Unsurprisingly, the Brazilian real weakened against the dollar now in its sixth consecutive day of decline. Bloomberg reports Brazilian Revolt Claims First Fatality as Violence Erupts. Brazil's swelling street rebellion claimed its second fatality in the largest and most violent protests yet, as 1 million demonstrators rallied for better public services and an end to corruption.Brazilian Real Monthly Chart click on chart for sharper image How Currency Wars End Brazil bitched an moaned about having a currency that was too strong. Finance minister Guido Mantega declared a "fresh currency war" in March of 2012 after having already used the term in 2010. "When the real appreciates, it reduces our competitiveness. Exports are more expensive, imports are cheaper and it creates unfair competition for businesses in Brazil," said Mantega The Keynesian and Monetarist fools in Brazil got what they asked, a weakening currency. Now they don't like the end results. Hot money is fleeing, the Real is sinking, inflation is soaring, and Brazil has no idea how to stem the tide (or the protests). A similar fate awaits Japan's Abenomics as well as the Shadow Banking System in China. As I said earlier, "Problems are easy to overlook in a seemingly good economy when jobs are plentiful. It's much different when the boom ends and the corruption becomes obvious." For further reading, please see ...
Mike "Mish" Shedlock http://globaleconomicanalysis.blogspot.com |
Ford CEO Calls Japan a "Currency Manipulator"; What Country Isn't a Manipulator? Posted: 21 Jun 2013 09:32 AM PDT I was wondering when someone would throw the "Currency Manipulator" label at Japan. It happened on Thursday. Bloomberg reports Ford's CEO Calls Japan Currency Manipulator Amid Weaker Yen. Ford Motor Co. (F) Chief Executive Officer Alan Mulally called Japan a currency manipulator that's giving local exporters an unfair edge as the weaker yen threatens to undermine U.S. automakers' profits. What Country Isn't a Manipulator? Currency manipulation is everywhere you look: China, Brazil, Japan, Switzerland, the US, and every country actually. Some countries intervene directly. Japan, Brazil, China, and Switzerland are in that list. The rest do it via interest rate manipulation (holding rates too low) and/or various Quantitative Easing schemes which act indirectly to weaken a currency. Brazil holds the distinction of intervening to both weaken and strengthen its currency within the same year. For more on Brazil intervention madness, please see ...
It's easy enough to stop the manipulation, at least in theory: Get rid of the central banks and their bubble-blowing currency debasement policies, end fractional reserve lending, and return to a gold standard. Mike "Mish" Shedlock http://globaleconomicanalysis.blogspot.com |
Posted: 20 Jun 2013 11:13 PM PDT It's always impossible to know what the trigger for a mass reaction will be in advance. In Brazil, hundreds of thousands of people have been in protest over corruption, bad services, and even the cost of hosting the World Cup. The trigger was a mere 10-20 cent hike in transportation fares. Cities have rolled back the price hikes but the protests continue. Hundreds of Thousands Join Brazil Protests Al Jazeera reports Hundreds of Thousands Join Brazil Protests Hundreds of thousands of people have rallied across Brazil as part of a protest movement over the quality of public services and the high cost of staging the World Cup.Leaderless Movement Interestingly, the protests were not organized by any person or leader the government can deal with or arrest. Please consider Brazil protests continue despite concession Brazilian authorities are bracing for a new wave of protests as hundreds of thousands of people across 80 cities have responded to social media posts, calling for them to rally in the streets. Military Police Officers Join Protesters In Brazil The Huffington Post comments on the above video that has gone viral. RT Images Here are a couple of Brazil Protest Images courtesy of RT. Decade-Long Boom Comes to an End Reuters reports Brazil hit by largest protests yet as hundreds of thousands march With an international soccer tournament as a backdrop, demonstrators are also denouncing the more than $26 billion of public money that will be spent on the 2014 World Cup and 2016 Olympics, two events meant to showcase a modern, developed Brazil.Inflation, Corruption, as Boom Comes to an End What's the protest really about? Inflation and corruption is the answer. Fare hikes are a symptom. Brazil complained for years about the strength of its currency, the Brazilian Real. Now it intervenes regularly to prop it up (For detail, please see my June 18 post Brazilian Currency Touches Four-Year Low Prompting Intervention; Currency Intervention Madness Displayed in Chart Form) Inflation is a reported 6.5%, but no doubt much higher in practice. Problems are easy to overlook in a seemingly good economy when jobs are plentiful. It's much different when the boom ends and the corruption becomes obvious. Mike "Mish" Shedlock http://globaleconomicanalysis.blogspot.com |
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