The global auto manufacturing industry is competitive with many players catering to every section of auto buyers. However the major players own the top brands. For instance, US-based General Motors (GM) owns the Buick, Cadillac, Chevrolet, GMC, Holden, Vauxhall and Opel brands, Germany-based Volkswagen (VLKAY) owns Audi, Bentley, Bugatti, Lamborghini, Porsche, SEAT, VW and Skoda, Indian auto-maker Tata Motors …
Earlier this week in an article on rising consumer debt I wrote that as a consumption-driven economy, the US economy needs consumers to do the heavy-lifting. So far consumer are doing their part and the economy is recovering. But the question is: How big is consumption spending in terms of the total economic output? Or …
The Unemployment Rate in the US stood at 4.7% according to the BLS. The long-term term in unemployment since 1999 is shown in the chart below: Click to enlarge Source: BLS Since the peak of the Global Financial Crisis unemployment level has slowly declined to reach almost closer to the 1999 levels. However most workers …
The Global Financial Crisis (GFC) occurred just a few years ago. One of the reasons for that crisis was American consumers piling up excessive debt. For a short time after the crisis, the personal savings ratio started rising. However Americans are back to old habits again as they gorge on debt like there is no tomorrow. As …
Debt levels have increased globally since the financial crisis of 2008-09. Both government and private debt have soared after the crisis. The following chart shows the Debt to GDP Ratio of select countries: Click to enlarge Source: The Absolute Return Letter June 2016, Absolute Return Partners Japan has the highest debt with the debt-to-GDP ratio well above …