Belgian crisis deepens.
No one seems to be laughing anymore about the jocular September 20,
2007 posting on eBay offering Belgium for sale. The country was put up
on eBay for auction by a Belgian who was protesting the . . .
Survey: Norwegian household spending.
On September 10, 2007, Statistics Norway, the government national
statistics office, published a summary of its Survey of Consumer
Expenditure 2004-2006. The survey offers a fairly complete picture . . .
United Kingdom and the credit crunch.
Evidence that the liquidity crisis begun in mortgage markets in the
United States (US) has spread globally comes from the United Kingdom
(UK) where a high profile bank failure ignited considerable . . .
Italian worker wage gap.
There is apparently more that institutional reform can accomplish
in the Italian labor market than introducing flexibility, which has been
shown to reduce unemployment. A September 2007 working . . .
Counterfeit products law changes in Poland.
In May 2005, the Polish Supreme Court handed down a decision that
gave Polish prosecutors permission to prosecute only companies that
manufactured counterfeit goods. Sellers were in effect, . . .
The French are cautiously optimistic.(National Institute for
Statistics and Economic Studies)(Brief article)
Before it became obvious during the summer of 2007 that the
liquidity crisis was going global, and that the crisis would have a
negative effect on the global economy, the world economy was doing . . .
Chocolate.
Chocolate prices are increasing in Europe just as the holiday
season approaches. On August 14, 2007, Der Spiegel (Hamburg) said,
"chocolate ... is set to get more expensive as raw materials go . . .
Sharp decline in Dutch consumer confidence.
The September 2007 precipitous decline in Netherlands consumer
confidence is a record, according to a short September 25, 2007 review
of the situation posted on the Dutch News website (Amsterdam.) . . .
Ukraine power struggle simmers.
There is a serious power struggle underway in Ukraine. According to
a July 5, 2007 article in The Economist (London) there are few
ideological differences between the two main political parties. . . .
Clear signs of improvement in Portugal.
During the 1990s, Portugal's economy grew rapidly and the
country was the subject of very favorable reports in the international
financial press. Consumers did well. From 1996 through 1999 per . . .
German growth is strong but slowing.
Whether or not one believes that Germany's economy is doing
well in 2007 after a strong performance in 2006--according to
International Monetary Fund (IMF) statistics a 2006 expansion of . . .
Danish executives cite strong growth.
Denmark is full of surprises. Most recent: Widely held expectations
among Danish business executives of unexpected strong growth for 2007.
The expectations surfaced in a survey summarized in a . . .
Consumers upbeat on the Czech economy.(Czech Statistical Office
)(Brief article)
The June 2007 index that measures overall confidence in the Czech
economy declined 0.5 points when compared with May 2007. When compared
with June 2006, the composite confidence index, as it is . . .
Mixed signals from Hungary.
A series of reports filed on the Interfax Central Europe wire paint
a mixed portrait of Hungary's consumer spending. For example, a
June 25, 2007 story, citing Hungary's Central Statistical . . .
Communications services.(Survey)
A study released in June 2007 by Amarach Consulting, a Dublin
advisory and market research practice, supplies a number of insights on
fixed and mobile phone and Internet service in Ireland. The . . .
Ireland's prosperity will continue, albeit more
slowly.
Any review of prospects for the Irish economy and its consumers
should take into account the country's housing market. In its March
2, 2006 sketch of Ireland's economy, the Organization for . . .
Record Austrian consumer confidence.
Part of Austria's success-which is currently increasingly
evident-has to do with the country's location. Austria is almost a
junction between the new European Union (EU) members (the former . . .
Poland's consumers are more active.
Poland has the highest unemployment rate in the European Union
(EU), according to a June 11, 2007 Associated Press (AP) story posted on
the website of the Boston Globe (Boston)-estimated at 13.1 . . .
Russia facing difficult social problems.
Russia's sharply declining population is building to a
demographic crisis that is in marked contrast to the country's
macroeconomic progress. "A reader of the Economist or the Financial
Times would . . .
Italian consumer confidence slips.
On June 21, 2007, Italy's national statistics office, The
Institute for Studies and Economic Analyses (ISAE), released the results
of its monthly survey of consumer confidence showing that . . .
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