Germany’s Green economy rocks

January 30, 2025 By Hermann Observer in Hard Facts, Heconomy, Helections, Helplessness, Hideology, Home Cooking Tags: Economy, Elections, Energy, Germany, Greens, Growth, Industry, Robert Habeck Leave a comment

It pitches, reels and staggers too.

Talk about having a gross domestic product.

Germany slashes growth outlook in ‘serious’ diagnosis of Europe’s largest economy – The German government on Wednesday slashed its gross domestic product forecast to just 0.3% growth in 2025.

This is down from a previous forecast of 1.1% growth, but broadly in line with estimates from bodies like the International Monetary Fund.

“The diagnosis is serious,” Robert Habeck, Germany’s Economy and Climate Minister, said during a press conference.

Mississippi burning…

January 6, 2025 By Hermann Observer in Hard Facts, Heconomy, Home Cooking, Hurt Feelings Tags: Economy, GDP, Germany, Industry, Mississippi, USA Leave a comment

Just burning to surpass Germany’s GDP per capita.

Poorest US state rivals Germany: GDP per capita in US and Europe – Mississippi, the poorest state in the United States, is close to surpassing Europe’s largest economy Germany’s GDP per capita. Euronews Business compares US states with European countries.

“What on earth is happening with European leadership?”

December 20, 2024 By Hermann Observer in Habitudes, Hard Facts, Heconomy, Helplessness, Hideology, Hurt Feelings Tags: Elections, EU, Europe, France, Germany, Leadership, Socialism Leave a comment

What a silly question.

“European leadership?” There is no such thing. It’s just that now and then little reminders like this pop up in the news. Europe doesn’t lead. Europe doesn’t produce. It redistributes. It redistributes until there is nothing less to distribute.

First France, Now Germany: What Is Going On in Europe?

Germany’s government collapse and imminent snap elections mark the latest crisis amid an ‘uneven’ state of European leadership, an expert says.

We must destroy the economy in order to save the economy

December 10, 2024 By Hermann Observer in Hard Facts, Heconomy, Helplessness, Hideology, Home Cooking, Hurt Feelings Tags: Debt, Germany, Government spending, Unions Leave a comment

It’s the economic science, stupid.

German union boss urges Berlin to scrap borrowing cap to safeguard economy – IG Metall chair Christiane Benner addresses thousands of VW workers striking over planned closure of several plants.

The head of Germany’s most powerful trade union has called on Berlin to drop its cap on new borrowing to safeguard the future of Europe’s largest economy.

IG Metall chair Christiane Benner said the country should follow the example of the US and China, which are heavily supporting their domestic industries, meaning the borrowing limit had to “stop — immediately, not after the elections”.

Unexpected?

December 6, 2024 By Hermann Observer in Hard Facts, Heconomy, Hideology, Home Cooking Tags: Economy, Energy, Germany, Greens, Industry, Renewable Leave a comment

Not if you live in Germany.

It’s the cost of enertgy, stupid.

German industrial output unexpectedly falls in October – German industrial production unexpectedly fell in October, owing mainly to declines in energy production and in the automotive industry, the federal statistics office said on Friday.

Production was down by 1.0% in October from the previous month, the office said.

Investing in Africa may be too risky…

November 29, 2024 By Hermann Observer in Hard Facts, Heconomy, Helections, Helplessness, Hideology Tags: Africa, Energy, Germany, Greens, Industry, Investments, Jobs, Robert Habeck Leave a comment

But it’s not as risky as investing in Germany.

German Fortune 500 companies have announced over 60,000 layoffs this year, but the biggest employee cull is still to come – German companies in the Fortune 500 Europe have announced over 60,000 layoffs this year, in a sign of the country’s ongoing economic malaise that has left manufacturers reeling.

Major German employers, including Bosch, Thyssenkrupp, Deutsche Bahn, and Siemens, have this year announced plans to lay off thousands of workers in a bid to combat falling profits following a rocky post-COVID economic landscape.

Well, if there was ever any doubt…

November 26, 2024 By Hermann Observer in Hard Facts, Heconomy, Home Cooking, Hurt Feelings Tags: Angela Merkel, Budgets, Christian Lindner, Debt, FDP, Germany, Government spending, Government Waste, Spending Leave a comment

You must NEVER relax the debt brake, Germany.

Relax Germany’s debt brake, says Angela Merkel – Former chancellor’s memoirs back reform of borrowing cap that she introduced into constitution.

Former chancellor Angela Merkel has called for Germany to relax its “debt brake”, in a sign of the growing political pressure to overhaul a borrowing cap that many economists say is too inflexible.

Merkel, who served as chancellor between 2005 and 2021 and introduced the debt brake into Germany’s constitution, made the proposal for change in her autobiography Freedom: Memories 1954-2021.

Sorry, we’re only firing at the moment

November 4, 2024 By Hermann Observer in Hard Facts, Heconomy, Helplessness, Home Cooking, Hurt Feelings Tags: Employment, German, Germany, Hiring, Industry, Jobs, Language, Recession Leave a comment

Hiring war gestern (was yesterday).

German companies’ hiring plans drop to four-year low, Ifo finds – German companies are less willing to hire new staff than at any point in more than four years, data from the Ifo institute showed on Monday, as weakness in Europe’s largest economy has left its mark on the country’s labour market.

Ifo’s employment barometer fell to 93.7 points in October from 94.0 points in September, the lowest level since July 2020.

“Everything that could go wrong went wrong, or is going wrong”

October 24, 2024 By Hermann Observer in Hard Facts, Heconomy, Hideology, Home Cooking, Hurt Feelings Tags: Automobiles, Bureaucracy, Economy, Energy, German, Germany, Industry, Language, Technology 1 Comment

Other than that though, alles ist in Ordnung (everything’s OK).

Germany’s lost decade: How the Fortune 500 Europe giant is flirting with long-term irrelevance – There is an elephant in the room of the 2024 edition of the Fortune 500 Europe. It’s not a crisis-riddled company or scandal-hit CEO. Rather, it’s the whole German economy.

For most of the 21st century, economists and neighboring countries have looked to Germany with admiration and envy as it managed to weather economic storms with relative ease, capitalizing on trade with growing economies and expanding the power of its industrial giants in the process.

However, a shifting world order has pulled the carpet out from underneath Germany. The industrial quirks that once helped it outgrow its European peers are fast becoming a burden, and crisis after crisis has exposed a lack of planning at the top of government.

Observing Hermann

“Was interessiert mich mein Geschwätz von gestern?”

Category Archives: Heconomy