Category Archives: Banking and Finance

The Euro, the US Dollar and the RMB Walked Into a Bar. The Euro said…

Posted on May 17, 2010 by Richard

One heard very recently of Chinese confidence in the Euro, as opposed to the US dollar, and the not-so subtle threat to re-allocate China’s foreign reserve holdings from more heavily US-weighted to somewhat less. This rhetoric appears to have turned … Continue reading →

Posted in Banking and Finance, China After the Meltdown, Foreign Exchange | Comments Off

More African Complaints About Chinese Business Practices

Posted on August 1, 2009 by Richard

Following our 88 Queensway article comes this: At several Chinese-run projects in Windhoek, workers were not wearing safety helmets. The Namibian workers said they must pay for their own safety equipment — for example, $3.65 for a helmet, $1.20 for … Continue reading →

Posted in Banking and Finance, Ideas in Chinese Life, Imports and Exports, Scandals | Comments Off

Another Prediction of Chinese Currency Supremacy

Posted on May 15, 2009 by Richard

A Columbia University economist known for his extraordinary conclusions — some right — evidently knows something everybody else does not. The Chinese yuan is preparing to overtake the US dollar as the world’s reserve currency, economist Nouriel Roubini has warned. … Continue reading →

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Guest Post: Victor Shih on the Chinese Stimulus Package: “What did 5 Trillion RMB Buy?”

Posted on April 24, 2009 by Richard

[Today's post comes to us, with our thanks, from Victor Shih, Assistant Professor of Politics at Northwestern University in the U.S., and blogger at Elite Chinese Politics and Political Economy. Victor is the author of the very fine, Factions and … Continue reading →

Posted in Banking and Finance, China After the Meltdown, Investment | Comments Off

China Proposes “Super-Sovereign Reserve Currency” to Eliminate the Middle Man

Posted on March 24, 2009 by Richard

[UPDATE (March 26, 2009): The American response here and here.] Zhou Xiaochuan (???), Governor of the People’s Bank of China, has proposed a supranational currency to which national currencies shall be linked and valued according to a system of “rules.” … Continue reading →

Posted in Banking and Finance, China After the Meltdown, Foreign Exchange, Investment, U.S. Economy | Comments Off

On Again, Off Again (Repeat) — The “Bad Bank”

Posted on January 30, 2009 by Richard

The Bad Bank (see yesterday’s post) has hit a snag and may not progress past the light bulb stage. Executive regulators don’t seem to know how it would work in practice. Federal Deposit Insurance Corp Chairman Sheila Bair is apparently … Continue reading →

Posted in Banking and Finance, China After the Meltdown, Investment, U.S. Economy | Comments Off

US to Implement Chinese-Style Toxic Asset Buy

Posted on January 28, 2009 by Richard

American lawmakers appear to have shelved the frightful idea of “nationalizing” failing banks. However, they’ve now settled down to discuss — from media commentary, frantically — a plan that mimics the experience of modern Chinese banking regulators: the creation of … Continue reading →

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The Trade Surplus: Will China, Like Garbo, Continue to Plead: “I Vant to Be Alone?”

Posted on January 19, 2009 by Richard

An enjoyable article by Alan Wheatley: China and the “Garbo Defense.” Indeed, what economic policy toward China will the Obama administration adopt? Any at all? “In bad times everybody talks more about financial cooperation, but the reality is that in … Continue reading →

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The Chinese “Stimulus Package” — A Few Notes from a Political Economist

Posted on November 14, 2008 by Richard

Victor Shih’s always engrossing Elite Chinese Politics & Political Economy blog talks about the Chinese bail-out: There is a rumor that Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, a government think-tank, came up with a plan to set up a government fund … Continue reading →

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Auto Bailout, Financial Bailout, What Next?

Posted on November 10, 2008 by Richard

Massive non-performing loans that force major financial institutions into insolvency. Significant state investment in manufacturing industries. National governmental leadership in product planning. Taxpayers “profiting” from equity investments in quasi-private enterprises. What nation do you think I’m referring to? Could be … Continue reading →

Posted in Banking and Finance, Investment, U.S. Economy | Comments Off