Category Archives: Heconomy

German of the day: Wahnhaft

June 27, 2025 By in Hard Facts, Heconomy, Helplessness, Home Cooking, Hurt Feelings Tags: , , , , , , , , Leave a comment

That means delusional.

Merz ‘delusional’ over US sparing German cars in EU trade deal – Brussels has warned German chancellor not to expect UK-style carve-out for car sector in EU deal with Donald Trump.

Chancellor Friedrich Merz is “delusional” in his expectation that Germany’s car industry will be spared from US tariffs, according to EU officials involved in trade talks with the Trump administration.

Merz has been pressing the European Commission, which manages trade policy on behalf of the EU’s 27 member states, to sign a “framework” deal with Washington aping the US-UK agreement signed earlier this month, which included a special dispensation for cars.

But Brussels officials have privately told Berlin that such an arrangement would not be possible, as reducing German car imports is a big focus for US President Donald Trump, two people briefed on the discussions told the Financial Times.

Is that from the same guy who wrote “Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas?”

June 11, 2025 By in Hard Facts, Heconomy, Helplessness, Hideology, Home Cooking, Hurt Feelings Tags: , , , , , , , Leave a comment

“Debt and precarious stagnation in the EU and Germany” sounds like a good read too.

Europe faces mounting fiscal strain as Germany pivots toward debt-financed spending to maintain political support…

The public has now lost faith in traditional muddling through and demands drastic changes.

This report focuses on Europe, where the economic situation has worsened considerably in recent years. Several countries on the old continent have become more vulnerable to shocks, and imbalances have piled up. Moreover, leaders have demonstrated an inability or unwillingness to address structural problems, yet they are all too eager to haughtily break their electoral promises, swim with the tide and gather consensus through frantic lawmaking in the name of emergencies, fairness and social justice.

Tariffs don’t work…

May 31, 2025 By in Hard Facts, Heconomy, Hideology, Home Cooking Tags: , , , , , , , , , Leave a comment

Until they do.

Then an agreement is reached and the tariffs are lowered. We could ask Elon but this doesn’t seem like rocket science to me.

Trump’s Tariffs Cost BMW $11 Million A Day, So Germans Want A Deal – European carmakers are losing millions daily to US tariffs despite American production bases.

Trade wars rarely end well for anyone involved, and when the crossfire hits the automotive industry, the damage adds up fast. Nowhere is that more evident than in Germany, where the ongoing tariff standoff is racking up some eye-watering costs. According to a new report, BMW is losing a staggering $11.3 (£8.4 / €10) million per day thanks to U.S. tariffs.

Provide affordable housing for ordinary Germans?

May 22, 2025 By in Hard Facts, Heconomy, Helplessness, Home Cooking Tags: , , , , , Leave a comment

That ought to be easy enough.

I mean, how many ordinary Germans can there be?

Chancellor Merz pledges affordable housing for ordinary Germans – German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said on Wednesday that the government wants to do more to make housing affordable for ordinary people again.

“Anyone earning a normal income in Germany should be able to buy a normal home,” Merz said at the Construction Industry Conference in Berlin.

“We are determined to … get things moving so that building in Germany becomes faster, easier and cheaper, enabling the average family in Germany to afford their own home as a rule,” Merz asserted.

We won’t break it up until it’s broken

April 29, 2025 By in Hard Facts, Heconomy, Helplessness, Hideology, Home Cooking, Hurt Feelings Tags: , , , , , , , Leave a comment

Really broken. Even more broken than it already is (see Spain’s Green energy adventure yesterday).

Berlin faces EU test over German electricity market break-up – Sweden, Belgium and Czech Republic argue country’s market restructuring could drive prices down.

Germany’s new government faces an early test of its sway in Brussels as it defies pressure from neighbouring countries to break up the German electricity market.

Sweden, Belgium and the Czech Republic are among countries to have argued that splitting the large German market into several zones could lower prices for their consumers, as electricity flows to the region of highest priced demand.

“Could Germany return to Russian gas via Nord Stream?”

April 26, 2025 By in Hard Facts, Heconomy, Helplessness, Hideology, Home Cooking, Hurt Feelings Tags: , , , , , Leave a comment

Could the Pope be a Catholic?

Hmmm. A moral high ground dilemma. For now. First get slammed after making yourself dependent on Russian oil – knowingly, eyes wide open – then persist in playing the hardcore sanctions hawk after the war in Ukraine (for Ukraine) is long lost. Like I said, for now.

For months, there has been speculation that the United States and Russia want the Nord Stream gas pipelines repaired and flowing again. The question remains whether Germany might agree.

It’s not because we have the highest energy costs in the world…

April 24, 2025 By in Habitudes, Hard Facts, Heconomy, Helplessness, Hideology, Hurt Feelings Tags: , , , , , , , Leave a comment

Or the shortest number of hours (days) worked in any industrialized country. Or the most restrictive bureaucracy of any G7 nation. Or even that we continue to miss the boat when it comes to embracing new technological developments. To name just a few.

No. Germany’s economy continues to fail (for the third year now) because of Donald Trump.

Germany sees zero growth in 2025, blames Trump tariffs – Germany was the only G7 economy that failed to grow for the last two years, and is on track for a third year without growth in 2025.

The German government cut its economic growth forecast to zero citing the impact of US President Donald Trump’s trade policies .

“There is above all one reason for this, namely Donald Trump’s trade policy and the effects of the trade policy on Germany,” outgoing Economy Minister Robert Habeck said.

The European Debt Race

March 31, 2025 By in Hard Facts, Heconomy, Helplessness, Hideology Tags: , , , , , Leave a comment

To the bottom.

You’ll never catch us! As in U.S.

Germany’s spending push drives up borrowing costs across Eurozone – Investors warn that higher bond yields could make it harder for members of the bloc to increase defence spending.

A surge in Eurozone government borrowing costs as a result of Germany’s planned defence spending spree will intensify debt pressures on other countries in the bloc and could make it harder for them to mount borrowing campaigns of their own, investors have warned.