Source: Der Spiegel

The global economic crisis is wreaking havoc on shipping: Demand and prices have collapsed and ports are filling up with fleets of empty freighters. The crisis has fueled cut-throat competition and not all companies will survive. Germany’s Hapag-Lloyd alone needs 1.75 billion euros to stay afloat.Shipping Industry Fights for Survival

The number of bankruptcies rose by a staggering 51.6 per cent in June compared to the year before, as more Canadian consumers and businesses were…Canadian bankruptcies skyrocket in June

Will the current crisis reverse the past two decades of democratisation and financial liberalisation? This column documents the complex, non-linear relationship between political and financial reform. Financial liberalisation often reverses as countries move from autocracy to democracy, as “partial democracies” are less liberalised, and there are big differences between de jure and de facto liberalisation.Financial liberalisation and “partial democracy”

Even some of our most sophisticated commentators doubt a link between consumer protection and any macroeconomic outcomes.  Consumer protection, in this view, is microeconomics and quite different from macroeconomic issues (such as the speed and nature of our economic recovery).Credit Conditions In The Absence Of Consumer Protection

The order in which the world will emerge, post-recession, is still unclear, but a long slog can be expected, after which there will still be few competitors to challenge the US dollar as the world’s predominant currency.How will the world look when the dust settles?

The balance of risks to Asian equities is to the downside over the next three months, says Macquarie.Macquarie bullish on Singapore and banks

Stronger high-street sales and optimism in housing market have boosted hopes of economic recovery. Spending and house prices pick up

Container ships and bulk carriers parked off the coast of Singapore: Roughly 450 container ships are now idle worldwide as a result of the crisis — about 10 percent of the global fleet. Credit: Der Spiegel