This news of German goverment capital infusions at Commerzbank comes from the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung in Germany. You will recall that Commerzbank was the winner in the bid to buy Dresdner Bank just a few months ago. However, this merger cannt proceed without a capital infusion from the government.

Opel is a well-respected brand in Germany. As a result, the German subsidiary of General Motors has been profitable while the parent company was hemorrhaging losses. Many Germans see the parent as an albatross around their neck, leading to job losses and despair. Why not cut the cord?

It seems that the bailouts are now turning into a “Beggar Thy Neighbor” policy of aid for specific sectors of the global economy. First, it was finance as the banks were savaged by massive writedowns to their property and derivative holdings — with each nation competing with the next for the largest handouts to this vital sector of the economy.

Angela Merkel, the German Chancellor has rebuked the United States for its easy money policies, suggesting it was kicking the can down the road and setting up a greater problem later. It is high time the debate about monetary policy made it to the political arena.

The U.S. Federal Reserve is tasked with watching inflation while keeping the economy growing. This dual mandate is a juggling act no mortal could manage successfully for long. The result has been a Fed which has largely erred on the side of growth over inflation, leading to a weak dollar and many an [...]

The Guardian is reporting that Gordon Brown and his Labour Government are increasingly on the defensive as the number of governments in Europe guaranteeing deposits increases.
The first problem for the Prime Minister was that Building societies started complaining that Irish banks were advertising their government guarantees to British savers in a way that engendered unfair [...]

Germany has moved center stage in the credit crisis despite having not experienced a housing bubble in the run-up to the bust. Switzerland and Japan, along with Germany are three countries I find notable in not having participated in the upside. But with a full scale assault on the global financial system underway, [...]

I have been a bit on edge of late because of the credit crisis that is making headlines. Recently, a lot of people have been duped into believing that the economic crisis we are experiencing is not critical and have their eyes focused elsewhere. However, this event is potentially the most critical event in [...]

Facing a potential breakdown in its banking system, the German government has decided to offer a blanket guarantee to private savings deposits (see comments below from German blogger egghat about this distinction), much as Ireland and Greece have done. As much as I praise this move on the part of the Germans to restore [...]

The Europeans have no idea what is about to hit them. Their banking system is collapsing and European politicians are fighting amongst themselves. At French President Nicolas Sarkozy’s crisis summit, the politicians were unable to craft a comprehensive or wide-reaching response to deal with the banking crisis. Meanwhile, the carnage in European [...]