Category Archives: economy

Ford Adding Jobs at Kansas City Assembly

Posted on 2 May 2013 by Ken Zino

Ford Motor is adding more than 2,000 jobs at its Kansas City Assembly Plant in Missouri to meet recovering demand for the Ford F-150 and planned production of a revised Ford Transit. In the sad language of the Obama Administration’s mostly jobless recovery, only half of the jobs will be new hires at an hourly rate – when adjusted for inflation – is less then Henry Ford’s $5 a day Model T wage a century ago. Continue reading →

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Highway Trust Fund – Higher Taxes or Big Spending Cuts?

Posted on 25 April 2013 by Ken Zino

The latest report from the non-partisan Congressional Budget Office paints a grim picture of the status of the Highway Trust Fund that is supposed to keep the nation’s transportation infrastructure up to date and in good repair. Put simply, the … Continue reading →

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Toyota to Announce Additional Production in North America

Posted on 18 April 2013 by Ken Zino

Toyota Motor Corporation President Akio Toyoda will make an announcement tomorrow morning about increasing production in North American. The world’s largest automaker is heavily klonopin online cheap dependent on the North American market for profits and the strong Japanese Yen … Continue reading →

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World Trade to Remain Weak in 2013 as Eurozone Drags on Economy

Posted on 10 April 2013 by Ken Zino

Projected trade growth of 3.3% in 2013 is well below the 20-year average of 5.3% and even further below the pre crisis trend of 6% during the 1990-2008 period. Continue reading →

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GM to Build 8-Speed Auto Trans, 3-cylinder Engines in U.S.

Posted on 4 April 2013 by Ken Zino

General Motors will invest nearly $332 million in four manufacturing sites to produce more fuel-efficient engines and transmissions. The latest investments, announced today at GM plants in Flint and Bay City, MI, Toledo, OH and Bedford, IN, will support production of a new 3- and 4-cylinder Ecotec small gasoline engine, a new V6 engine, an 8-speed automatic transmission, and tooling for an existing 6-speed transmission. Continue reading →

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EU Commercial Vehicle Sales Plunge 13% in February

Posted on 4 April 2013 by Ken Zino

Demand for new commercial vehicles in the EU during February was down for the fourteenth consecutive month in a decline that hurt all vehicle segments. Continue reading →

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Mega Commuters in U.S. Travel 90 Minutes or More to Work

Posted on 4 April 2013 by Ken Zino

More than 8% of U.S. workers have commutes of 60 minutes or longer and almost 600,000 full-time workers are mega commuters with journeys of at least 90 minutes and 50 miles. The average one-way daily commute for workers across the U.S. is 25.5 minutes, and one in four commuters leaves their county to work. The data come from the U.S. Census Bureau’s annual American Community Survey, which provides local statistics on a variety of topics for even the smallest communities. Continue reading →

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U.S. Trade Deficit with Korea Highest on Record under FTA

Posted on 3 April 2013 by Ken Zino

The U.S. trade deficit with South Korea reached its highest level in history just ten months into the controversial trade agreement, according to the latest data released by the U.S. International Trade Commission. During January the deficit with South Korea was at -$2.4 billion — the largest monthly deficit with Korea on record. Continue reading →

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EU Car Sales Drop 10.5% During February to 795,482

Posted on 19 March 2013 by Ken Zino

Passenger car registrations plummeted in the 27 markets of the EU during February of 2013 to fewer than 800,000 units, a 10.5% drop from the same month last year. In February, the UK was the only country to post growth (+7.9%). All other major markets faced a downturn ranging from -9.8% in Spain to -10.5% in Germany, -12.1% in France and -17.4% in Italy. Continue reading →

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EPA Announces Membership of Great Lakes Advisory Board

Posted on 13 March 2013 by Ken Zino

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency today announced on behalf of 16 federal agencies the membership of the first advisory board to support implementation of the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative covering the largest surface freshwater system on Earth. Continue reading →

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New Stamping Presses for GM Full Size SUVs coming to Texas

Posted on 28 February 2013 by Ken Zino

The first shipment of equipment to stamp out components for General Motors’ new full-size SUVs arrives at the Arlington Stamping Plant this week. The four gigantic presses from Korean supplier WIA, pit equipment and two press beds – weighing a total of 5 million pounds – are making their way 550 miles from the Port of Houston. Continue reading →

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60-Day Auto Loan Delinquencies Rise for First Time since 2009

Posted on 22 February 2013 by Ken Zino

It was the first time since the end of 2009 that either 30- or 60-day loan delinquencies increased year-over-year. In what could be an early warning sign that sub-prime loans from finance companies are becoming too speculative, the total balance of 60-day delinquent loans grew from $3.48 billion in Q4 2011 to $3.93 billion in Q4 2012. Continue reading →

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Ally Leads in U.S. Consumer and Dealer Auto Financing

Posted on 12 February 2013 by Ken Zino

Ally Financial leads all auto lending firms because the taxpayer owned company extended credit on 1.5 million new and used vehicles through franchised and independent dealers last year. Continue reading →

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Ford Motor January Sales up 22%, Best since 2006

Posted on 1 February 2013 by Ken Zino

After the F-Series pickup, the second best seller in the Ford line was the new Fusion sedan at 22,000, followed closely by the Escape at 20,000, the best January ever. Escape also had its best January ever, – sales increasing 16%, topping last year’s January record. The Fusion and Escape are apparently coated with Teflon, since reputation damaging multiple recalls after their launch, including engine fires affecting both, were ignored by buyers of the European-based vehicles that were redesigned for 2013 without the help of former subsidiary Mazda.
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Toyota Ousts GM from Global Auto Sales Leadership. VW Third

Posted on 31 January 2013 by Ken Zino

Toyota Motor regained global sales leadership in 2012 ousting GM by selling 9.75 million vehicles. GM’s sales were 9.29 million vehicles with Volkswagen Group closing on GM in third place at 9.07 million vehicles for the year. Toyota had led global sales from 2008 until 2010 when natural disaster induced production disruptions, the result of a tragic earthquake in Japan and flooding in Thailand, halted its growth. Continue reading →

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