7% may be what the finance minister sees but 11% (at least) is what everybody gets.
Germany’s finance minister sees 2023 inflation at 7% – Germany’s finance minister expects inflation in Europe’s biggest economy to drop to 7% this year and to continue falling in 2024 and beyond, but believes high energy prices will become the new normal.
Because things are looking better.
Because once things start looking better, they can only get worse.
German businesses expect only mild recession as disruptions ease – German companies expect only a mild recession next year despite headwinds from the energy crisis, raw material shortages and a tepid global economy, a survey of major associations published by Reuters on Tuesday showed.
There have been growing signs that the German economy could stave off the worst of an economic downturn triggered by a plunge in energy supply from Russia after the Ukraine invasion.
Inflation to 11.3% in November from a high of 11.6% the month prior as energy prices eased. The German government has predicted the economy will grow by 1.4% this year and next year.
The kind of December
When gas was there and temps so mellow…
Nobody said “saving the planet” would be easy.
Snow covers Germany amid gas crunch – As Germany experienced its coldest December in a decade, the government implored residents to exercise restraint on turning up the heat.
“Germany is still very, very far from having its gas needs totally covered for the next two years. Because of this, in spite of the cold, I implore you to exercise restraint with gas use.”
Yeah, I read about those once. Looks like it’s been quite a while since then, though.
Tesla’s Berlin Hub Can’t Hire Enough People, or Keep Them – The company’s staffing problems have been magnified in Germany, where it is unable to meet targets as more workers head for the exit.
“Some people are off sick longer than they’ve actually worked. There are people who I haven’t seen working for three weeks in six months. Many people are signed off sick because the motivation isn’t there.”
That means energy price stop sign.
This is a brilliant new German invention (both the word and the concept) meaning that energy providers must first explain why they will be raising prices before going ahead and raising them anyway. Thanks German government (the ones who created this energy crisis in Germany in the first place), German citizens are most certainly saying, we wouldn’t be able to sleep soundly at night without you.
Germany to force energy providers to justify future price hikes – The German government plans to allow energy providers to raise prices next year only if objectively justified, the economy ministry said on Saturday, denying a media report that Berlin planned a ban on all energy price hikes for consumers.
It’s just that we don’t have enough ammunition.
The more things change (with the German army), the more they stay the same. I’ve timed these “unpreparedness” intervals to be about every eight to ten months – for decades now. Germans have no intention of ever having a “real” army again. The Bundeswehr is simply an alibi army needed to justify the German weapons industry. Just get used to it, folks. And don’t believe any of their rhetoric.
German defense minister comes under heavy fire over ammunition shortages – Both government coalition partners attack Christine Lambrecht over apparent unpreparedness and inaction to secure enough ammo for armed forces.
Like a good alternative reality. Anybody got one handy?
After taking the latest concrete step to make Germany more dependent on China, the German government reminds everyone that Germany should stive to be less dependent on China.
Germany must be more trade independent from China, minister says -news portal – Germany’s Economy Minister Robert Habeck wants to make the German economy more independent from China by focusing on alternative furture markets.
When he signed the 15 year LNG deal with Qatar? They were a big deal here for a few minutes last week.
Don’t the Greens normally love making empty gestures and sending symbolic symbols (Zeichen setzen)? Germany’s Green Economy Minister set two symbols with the deal: 1) We don’t give a damn about the human rights blah blah we claim to give a damn about and 2) Nasty LNG gas may not be green enough for our standards but it’s just green enough to “save the planet,” as long as it saves Germany first – from the catastrophic energy policy the Greens got Germany into in the first place.
German minister satisfied with 15-year Qatar LNG deal – German Economy Minister Robert Habeck said on Tuesday he was happy with the length of a liquefied natural gas (LNG) supply deal struck with Qatar, as Berlin pursues new energy partnerships after a plunge in gas from Russia.
Now we’re in a subsidy race.
It’s a subsidize the renewable energy sector race. The rules are simple: The country that wastes the most taxpayer money on technologies that can never, under any realistic scenario, meet the electricity demands of the given country, wins. And the others turn Green with envy.
Analysis: U.S. green subsidies heighten fears for German industry – U.S. subsidies add to threats to German manufacturing base.
While making this mistake again. The dependency mistake. See the Russian energy dependency mistake. This time it’s the hooked on China mistake.
China is a key market for German automakers including Volkswagen, BMW and Mercedes-Benz. If not the key market. And it will remain that way, despite the German government’s latest public relations move.
German auto industry could face tougher rules over China relations – Germany’s auto industry could face tougher rules on disclosing information over its China relations.
Germany’s foreign ministry plans to tighten the rules for companies including automakers that are deeply exposed to China, making them disclose more information and possibly conduct stress tests for geopolitical risks.
Observing Hermann 