Why Germany’s economic backbone is saying “auf wiedersehen”

Germany is facing a budget crisis amid rising energy costs, urgent calls for immigration reform and more pressing issues.
"Germany mostly lives off the fumes of its past reputation," said  Stephan Richter, publisher and editor-in-chief of The Globalist. Above, the skyline of Frankfurt, Germany's financial hub.
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Contractors are busy building single-family homes. That's good news on a lot of fronts.

Nov 24, 2023
Construction supports businesses throughout the supply chain and keeps the national housing deficit from growing.
While mortgage rates are still high, so is demand for homes — and there aren't enough houses on the market.
Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

Could vertical farms help fill unwanted office space?

Nov 22, 2023
Vertical farms “can take the spaces that are hard to rent,” explains real estate developer Brian Friedman.
Racks of lettuces growing at a vertical farm.
onurdongel/ iStock / Getty Images Plus

Durable goods orders have been rising. That's great news for the economy.

Nov 22, 2023
Businesses don't buy 'em unless they think they need 'em.
If businesses are splurging on durable goods, "the economy is still expanding," said Nationwide's Kathy Bostjancic.
Frederic J. Brown/AFP via Getty Images

As a recession fails to materialize, some economists are changing their tune

Nov 21, 2023
The Index of Leading Economic Indicators has been pointing to a slowdown for 19 months. It hasn't materialized.
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Why are long-term bond yields so high? Even Jerome Powell wants to know

Nov 10, 2023
Federal Reserve chair Jerome Powell said that we “don’t really know” why long-term bond yields have been going up.
Hasn't Powell been listening to "Marketplace?"
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The latest push for a national retirement savings system

A new bill follows up on recent bipartisan legislation to expand access to retirement savings.
A new bill in Congress, the Retirement Savings for Americans Act, would boost retirement security for low- and moderate-income workers.
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For public good, not for profit.

Why would China sell off its U.S. debt — if that's what it's doing

Nov 7, 2023
There's a hot debate about what it's doing with its holdings, and the answer could affect how much it costs Americans to borrow money.
"We care about whether foreign governments or entities are buying U.S. Treasurys because it impacts the cost of borrowing in this country," said Jesse Wheeler of Morning Consult.
Mark Schiefelbein/POOL/AFP via Getty Images

Do the latest job numbers point to a coming recession?

Nov 6, 2023
The number of new jobs created each month has been trending down for the past year — but there is also a good amount of positive data in the latest report.
Overall, the number of new jobs created each month has been chaotic but generally trending down for 12 months.
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As migration spikes, Germany attempts to crack down on illegal immigration

Nov 6, 2023
The number of people entering Germany without permission hit a high in September. Now, the country is levying tougher legal sentences for trafficking.
Migrants wait a German police check point near the Polish border on Oct. 11.
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