Lunes 07/03/11 Credito del consumidor

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Lunes

Eventos economicos

Credito del consumidor
Subasta de bonos

Entre los mas importantes de la semana tenemos el comercio de mayoristas el Miercoles, el comercio internacional el Jueves, las ventas retail, el sentimiento del consumidor y los inventarios de negocios el Viernes.

4-Week Bill Announcement
11:00 AM ET


3-Month Bill Auction
11:30 AM ET


6-Month Bill Auction
11:30 AM ET


Consumer Credit
3:00 PM ET


NFIB Small Business Optimism Index
7:30 AM ET


ICSC-Goldman Store Sales
7:45 AM ET


Redbook
8:55 AM ET


4-Week Bill Auction
11:30 AM ET


52-Week Bill Auction
11:30 AM ET


3-Yr Note Auction
1:00 PM ET


Bank Reserve Settlement


MBA Purchase Applications
7:00 AM ET


Wholesale Trade
10:00 AM ET


EIA Petroleum Status Report
10:30 AM ET


10-Yr Note Auction
1:00 PM ET

Weekly Bill Settlement

52-Week Bill Settlement


International Trade
8:30 AM ET


Jobless Claims
8:30 AM ET


Quarterly Services Survey
10:00 AM ET


EIA Natural Gas Report
10:30 AM ET


3-Month Bill Announcement
11:00 AM ET


6-Month Bill Announcement
11:00 AM ET


30-Yr Bond Auction
1:00 PM ET


Treasury Budget
2:00 PM ET


Fed Balance Sheet
4:30 PM ET


Money Supply
4:30 PM ET


Retail Sales
8:30 AM ET


Consumer Sentiment
9:55 AM ET


Business Inventories
10:00 AM ET

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Las acciones en Dubai subieron liderando las ganancias en el Medio Oriente debido a que las caidas fueron exageradas por los disturbios en la zona.

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Las ventas retail en US subieron en Febrero probablemente mas que en los ultimos cuatro meses debido a la mejoria en el empleo, mejor clima. Se espera que suban 1% despues de hbaer subido 0.3% en Enero.

Las ventas retail mejoraron, las ventas de autos subieron considerablemente y el empleo mejoro.

Retail Sales in U.S. Probably Climbed in February as Auto Purchases Rose
By Bob Willis - Mar 6, 2011 12:00 AM ET
U.S. retail sales probably climbed in February by the most in four months, spurred by job growth and more seasonable temperatures, economists said before a report this week.

The projected 1 percent gain would follow a 0.3 percent January increase, according to the median forecast of 63 economists surveyed by Bloomberg News ahead of Commerce Department figures March 11. Other reports may show the trade deficit widened in January and consumer confidence fell this month as gasoline prices rose.

J.C. Penney and Macy’s Inc. (M) were among retailers that topped analysts’ sales estimates, a sign household spending regained momentum after a weather-restrained January. While higher fuel costs may be concerning Americans, bigger paychecks thanks to the tax compromise reached by President Barack Obama and congressional Republicans are probably preventing demand from slipping for now.

“Chain-store sales did well, automobile sales improved sharply and employment bounced back” last month, said Brian Bethune, chief U.S. financial economist at IHS Global Insight in Lexington, Massachusetts. “Households may have realized that they have some extra cash in their pockets due to this year’s cut in the payroll tax.”

Retail sales excluding automobiles and service stations rose 0.4 percent in February, the most in three months and twice the January gain, according to the Bloomberg survey.

First-Quarter Slowdown
While February sales improved from a month earlier, the retail figures aren’t adjusted for changes in prices, in contrast to the consumer spending numbers in the Commerce Department’s report on gross domestic product. Combined with January, the February retail sales figures indicate first- quarter household purchases will cool from a 4.1 percent pace in the previous three months that were the fastest since 2006.

The retail sales data may reflect higher gasoline prices. Regular fuel in February reached an average $3.18 a gallon, or 8 cents more than January, according to AAA, the nation’s biggest motoring organization.

Sales at stores open at least a year at the more than 30 chains tracked by Retail Metrics climbed 4.3 percent in February from a year earlier, an 18th straight gain, surpassing analysts’ estimates for a 3.8 percent increase. Purchases at stores open at least a year climbed 6.4 percent at Plano, Texas-based J.C. Penney, and 5.8 percent at New York-based Macy’s, company data showed last week.

Retailer Shares
Investors have driven up retailer shares as spending increases. The Standard & Poor’s Supercomposite Retailing Index, which includes Macy’s and Gap, has gained 21 percent in the 12 months through March 4, compared with an 18 percent advance for the broader S&P 500.

Americans also filed into dealer showrooms in February to take advantage of incentives. Auto sales rose to a 13.38 million annual rate, the highest level since August 2009 when the government’s cash-for-clunkers program boosted purchases, according to industry data.

“Growing consumer confidence combined with pent-up demand will continue to have a positive influence on industry sales going forward,” Donald R. Johnson, vice president for North American sales at Detroit-based General Motors Co., said in a March 1 teleconference. “We continue to believe that we’re going to see this slow-but-steady growth throughout the year.”

An improving labor market is boosting spending. Employers added 192,000 jobs in February, the most since last May, and the unemployment rate fell to 8.9 percent, the lowest since April 2009, Labor Department figures showed last week.

Beige Book

The Federal Reserve last week said the labor market improved throughout the country early this year, driven by increasing retail sales and “solid growth” in manufacturing.

“Retail spending strengthened compared with a year ago across all Districts except Richmond and Atlanta,” the Fed’s Beige Book of regional economies said.

Another report from the Commerce Department on March 10 may show the trade deficit widened to $41.5 billion in January from $40.6 billion the prior month, according to the median forecast of economists surveyed by Bloomberg. The gain may reflect faster growth in imports, as wholesalers stocked shelves with goods made overseas to meet rising demand.

Wholesale inventories probably climbed 0.9 percent in January following a 1 percent increase, economists forecast the Commerce Department will report on March 9.

The Reuters/University of Michigan preliminary index of consumer confidence for March may show sentiment eased to 76.5 from 77.5 at the end of February, according to economists’ forecasts. That report is slated for March 11.

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Facebook en conversaciones para formar una sociedad con Skype (video calling)

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Nuevo gobierno Irlanda dice deuda puede volverse insostenible
domingo 6 de marzo de 2011 13:22 GYT Imprimir [-] Texto [+]
DUBLIN (Reuters) - El nuevo Gobierno irlandés dijo el domingo que el paquete de rescate al país de la UE/FMI no fue suficiente para restaurar la confianza en la economía y que hay un creciente peligro de que la carga de deuda del Estado se vuelva insostenible.

El partido Fine Gael, de centroderecha, y el Laborista, de centroizquierda, han dicho que cumplirán las metas fiscales establecidas en el paquete, pero reiteraron en su programa de Gobierno sus planes de buscar una reducción de la tasa de interés en los préstamos.

"El fracaso del programa de apoyo para restablecer la confianza en la salud financiera de bancos de Irlanda o el Estado irlandés continúa contribuyendo a una inestabilidad financiera más amplia en la zona euro", dijo el Gobierno de coalición.

"Hay un creciente peligro de que la carga de deuda del Estado se vuelva insostenible y las medidas para salvaguardar una deuda sostenible deben ser exploradas con urgencia", agregó el programa de Gobierno.

El próximo primer ministro de Irlanda, Enda Kenny, está bajo una enorme presión para convencer a sus socios europeos para que recorten el costo del rescate de 85.000 millones de euros (119.000 millones de dólares).

El acuerdo de la coalición para cumplir las metas fiscales parece diseñado para congraciarse con los alemanes, que son conservadores en lo fiscal.

El nuevo Gobierno intentará reducir el déficit desde cerca del 12 por ciento del Producto Interno Bruto (PIB) en la actualidad a debajo de límite de la Unión Europea (UE) del 3 por ciento en el 2015, una fecha límite ya aprobada por Bruselas.

"No veo nada allí que asuste a los mercados, asuste a Europa, asuste al FMI o cambie algo muy sustancialmente en el futuro", dijo Eoin Fahy, jefe de economistas de Kleinwort Benson Investors

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Casa Blanca considera uso reservas estratégicas de petróleo EEUU
domingo 6 de marzo de 2011 11:18 GYT Imprimir [-] Texto [+]

1 de 1Tamaño Completo
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - El Gobierno del presidente Barack Obama está considerando aprovechar las reservas estratégicas de petróleo de Estados Unidos como una manera de ayudar a aliviar los altos precios del crudo, dijo el domingo el jefe de Gabinete de la Casa Blanca, Bill Daley.

En declaraciones al programa "Meet the Press" del canal de televisión NBC, Daley dijo: "Estamos viendo las opciones. La cuestión de las reservas es una de las que estamos considerando (...) Todos los asuntos tienen que estar sobre la mesa".

Ha habido apoyo entre los demócratas del Senado para aprovechar las reservas estratégicas. El senador Jay Rockefeller se convirtió el jueves en el tercer demócrata en pedir a Obama que sean usados los suministros petroleros de emergencia para enfriar los precios, que han sobrepasado los 100 dólares por barril por una revuelta en Libia.

En una carta a Obama, Rockefeller dijo que un retiro "limitado" de 727 millones de barriles de la Reserva Estratégica de Petróleo de la nación "puede proteger nuestra seguridad nacional al prevenir o reducir los efectos negativos de la escasez de petróleo".

El secretario de Energía estadounidense, Steven Chu, descartó el miércoles la liberación de petróleo de la reserva, diciendo que el incremento de la producción de crudo de Arabia Saudita debe ayudar a bajar el precio del barril.

"Eso va a mitigar el incremento de los precios", dijo a periodistas el miércoles. "Esperamos que las fuerzas del mercado se encarguen de eso", agregó.

El secretario del Tesoro, Timothy Geithner, dijo el jueves que Estados Unidos y otras grandes economías podrían aprovechar las reservas estratégicas para evitar que el alza de los precios del petróleo afecte la recuperación global.

Geithner sostuvo que los altos precios de los alimentos y del petróleo causaban dificultades en muchas partes del mundo. Pero aclaró que los estadounidenses estaban sintiendo un impacto menor.

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Toledo sigue favorito presidencia Perú,se espera balotaje:sondeo
sábado 5 de marzo de 2011 17:44 GYT Imprimir [-] Texto [+]
LIMA (Reuters) - El ex mandatario peruano Alejandro Toledo continúa como líder en las intenciones de voto para las elecciones del 10 de abril y la pugna se centró por quien lo acompañaría para definir la presidencia del país en un balotaje, según un sondeo publicado el sábado.

Toledo avanzó un punto porcentual a un 29 por ciento de las preferencias electorales, mientras que sus dos más cercanos rivales bajaron un punto porcentual a un 18 por ciento cada uno, dijo la encuesta de Datum Internacional.

Los contendores que pelean por la opción de disputar un balotaje son Keiko Fujimori, la hija del ex presidente Alberto Fujimori, y el ex alcalde de Lima, Luis Castañeda.

Los tres candidatos que lideran los sondeos son considerados amigos del libre mercado y la inversión privada.

Los analistas y encuestadoras desde ya descartan que un candidato supere el 50 por ciento de votos necesarios para ganar en la primera ronda y las autoridades electorales han programado para el 5 de junio un balotaje.

A continuación, los últimos resultados de cuatro importantes firmas encuestadoras en Perú: Ipsos Apoyo, Compañía Peruana de Investigación y Mercados (CPI), Instituto Opinión Pública de la Universidad Católica y Datum Internacional.

Apoyo(1) CPI(2) U.Católica(3) Datum(4)

% % % %

Alejandro Toledo 28 28,4 28,6 29

Keiko Fujimori 21 18,8 20,3 18

Luis Castañeda 17 20,1 17,5 18

Ollanta Humala 14 13,4 12,0 13

Pedro Pablo Kuczynki 6 6,4 3,6 7

(1) Sondeo realizado entre el 19 y 25 de febrero a nivel urbano-rural nacional.

(2) Sondeo realizado entre el 23 y 28 de febrero a nivel urbano-rural nacional.

(3) Sondeo realizado entre el 29 de enero y 3 de febrero a nivel urbano-rural nacional.

(4) Sondeo realizado entre el 24 y 28 de febrero a nivel urbano-rural nacional.

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Por que America (US) seguira siendo la primera potencia mundial

El eminente historiador Paul Johnson acerca de Sara Palin, el tea party y los "malos" desde Napoleon hasta Gadhafi.

En su best-selling historia del Siglo XX, "MOdern Times" (Tiempos Modernos), el historiador britanico Paul Johnson describe "un significante turning point (momento de cambio) en la historia Americana" esta es la primera vez que la Gran Republica (US), la nacion mas rica sobre la tierra, reacciona contra los limites de sus recursos financiero" Hasta 1960, el escribe en uno de los capitulos titulado "Intento de Suicidio Americano " las finanzas publicas fueron manejadas dentro de las lineas convencionales" - eso es decir, que los presupuestos estan mas o menos en balance fuera de circunstancias especiales.

"El gran cambio en principios ocurrio en el gobierno de Kennedy" Escribe Mr. Johnson. "en el otonio de 1962 la Administracion se consagro a un nuevo principio radical de crear deficits presupuestarios aun cuando no habian emergencias economicas" Removiendo los limites del gobierno en el gasto (pecado mortal) Kennedy se permitio introducir un concepto nuevo de "gobierno grande" el "eliminador de los problemas". Cada area de la miseria humana fue claseficada como un "problema"; y el gobierno Federal estaba armado para "eliminarlo" (asi fue como empezo esta tragedia con un presidente Democrata: Kennedy)

28 anios despues cuando "Modern Times" recien aparecio, Mr. Johnson es quizas el mas eminente historiador Birtanico, y el gobierno grande como eliminador de problemas regresa ahora con una venganza - junto con los deficits de trillones de dolares mas alla de donde nuestros ojos pueden ver. Yo visite a Mr. Johnson de 82 anios en su casa en West London esta semana para preguntarle si America nuevamente esta en camino de la auto-destruccion. Esta el preocupado por el futuro de America?

"Por supuesto estoy preocupado," dice. "El mundo entero depende de America ultimadamente, particularmente Inglaterra. Y tambien, yo amo a America - un pais maravilloso. Pero en ese sentido no estoy preocupado por america por que yo pienso que America tiene grandes puntos fuertes - particularmente su libertad de expresion y pensamiento - eso va a permitir que sobreviva como la primera potencia en el futuro. Y por lo tanto cuidara al resto del mundo.

Los pesimistas, el seniala, han venido prediciendo el fin de America "desde el siglo 18." Pero cada vez que las cosas lucen mal, America "repentinamente produce cosas maravillosas - como el movimiento tea party. Eso me anima infinitamente. Porque ha hecho mas por las mujeres que ninguna otra cosa antes - todas las feminists? locas! Nos ha dado muchas mujeres inteligentes, jovenes dentro del mundo politico y les ha dado el triunfo. Un pequenio pero muy buen movimiento politico, eso. Me gusta." "Me gusta esa lady - Sarah Palin. Ella es grande.

La ex gobernadora de Alaska, el dice, "es la tradicion buena de America, con este horrible negocio -correctos politicamente-
en contra. "Mas, "Ella tiene coraje. Eso es muy importante en politica. Un presidente puede tener todas las ideas correctas y la habilidad para expresarlas. Pero si no tienen coraje, de la manera que Margaret Thatcher tenia - y Ronald Reagan. El ultimo presidente (George Bush) tambien lo tenia, si no tienen coraje, todas las demas virtudes no sirven para nada. Esa es la virtud principal."

Mr. Johnson ha escrito libros acerca de Napoleon, quien el llama uno de los "malos", Churchill, uno de los buenos, Socrates (bueno) y Charles Darwin (interesante figura)

Why America Will Stay on Top

Eminent historian Paul Johnson on Sarah Palin, the tea party, and 'baddies' from Napoleon to Gadhafi
By BRIAN M. CARNEY

In his best-selling history of the 20th century, "Modern Times," British historian Paul Johnson describes "a significant turning-point in American history: the first time the Great Republic, the richest nation on earth, came up against the limits of its financial resources." Until the 1960s, he writes in a chapter titled "America's Suicide Attempt," "public finance was run in all essentials on conventional lines"—that is to say, with budgets more or less in balance outside of exceptional circumstances.

"The big change in principle came under Kennedy," Mr. Johnson writes. "In the autumn of 1962 the Administration committed itself to a new and radical principle of creating budgetary deficits even when there was no economic emergency." Removing this constraint on government spending allowed Kennedy to introduce "a new concept of 'big government': the 'problem-eliminator.' Every area of human misery could be classified as a 'problem'; then the Federal government could be armed to 'eliminate' it."

Twenty-eight years after "Modern Times" first appeared, Mr. Johnson is perhaps the most eminent living British historian, and big government as problem-eliminator is back with a vengeance—along with trillion-dollar deficits as far as the eye can see. I visited the 82-year-old Mr. Johnson in his West London home this week to ask him whether America has once again set off down the path to self-destruction. Is he worried about America's future?

"Of course I worry about America," he says. "The whole world depends on America ultimately, particularly Britain. And also, I love America—a marvelous country. But in a sense I don't worry about America because I think America has such huge strengths—particularly its freedom of thought and expression—that it's going to survive as a top nation for the foreseeable future. And therefore take care of the world."

Pessimists, he points out, have been predicting America's decline "since the 18th century." But whenever things are looking bad, America "suddenly produces these wonderful things—like the tea party movement. That's cheered me up no end. Because it's done more for women in politics than anything else—all the feminists? Nuts! It's brought a lot of very clever and quite young women into mainstream politics and got them elected. A very good little movement, that. I like it." Then he deepens his voice for effect and adds: "And I like that lady—Sarah Palin. She's great. I like the cut of her jib."

The former governor of Alaska, he says, "is in the good tradition of America, which this awful political correctness business goes against." Plus: "She's got courage. That's very important in politics. You can have all the right ideas and the ability to express them. But if you haven't got guts, if you haven't got courage the way Margaret Thatcher had courage—and [Ronald] Reagan, come to think of it. Your last president had courage too—if you haven't got courage, all the other virtues are no good at all. It's the central virtue."

***
Mr. Johnson, decked out in a tweed jacket, green cardigan and velvet house slippers, speaks in full and lengthy paragraphs that manage to be at once well-formed and sprinkled with a healthy dose of free association. He has a full shock of white hair and a quick smile. He has, he allows, gone a bit deaf, but his mind remains sharp and he continues to write prolifically. His main concession to age, he says, is "I don't write huge books any more. I used to write 1,000 printed pages, but now I write short books. I did one on Napoleon, 50,000 words—enjoyed doing that. He was a baddie. I did one on Churchill, which was a bestseller in New York, I'm glad to say. 50,000 words. He was a goodie." He's also written short forthcoming biographies of Socrates (another "goodie") and Charles Darwin (an "interesting figure").


Mr. Johnson says he doesn't follow politics closely anymore, but he quickly warms to the subject of the Middle East. The rash of uprisings across the Arab world right now is "a very interesting phenomenon," he says.

"It's something that we knew all about in Europe in the 19th century. First of all we had the French Revolution and its repercussions in places like Germany and so on. Then, much like this current phenomenon, in 1830 we had a series of revolutions in Europe which worked like a chain reaction. And then in 1848, on a much bigger scale—that was known as the year of revolutions."

In 1848, he explains, "Practically every country in Europe, except England of course . . . had a revolution and overthrew the government, at any rate for a time. So that is something which historically is well-attested and the same thing has happened here in the Middle East."

Here he injects a note of caution: "But I notice it's much more likely that a so-called dictatorship will be overthrown if it's not a real dictatorship. The one in Tunisia wasn't very much. Mubarak didn't run a real dictatorship [in Egypt]. Real dictatorships in that part of the world," such as Libya, are a different story.

As for Moammar Gadhafi, "We'll see if he goes or not. I think he's a real baddie, so we hope he will." The Syrian regime, he adds, "not so long ago in Hama . . . killed 33,000 people because they rose up." Then, "above all," there is Iran. "If we can get rid of that horrible regime in Iran," he says, "that will be a major triumph for the world."

Frank judgments like these are a hallmark of Mr. Johnson's work, delivered with almost child-like glee. Of Mahatma Gandhi, he wrote in "Modern Times": "About the Gandhi phenomenon there was always a strong aroma of twentieth-century humbug."

Socrates is much more to Mr. Johnson's liking. Whereas, in Mr. Johnson's telling, Gandhi led hundreds of thousands to death by stirring up civil unrest in India, all the while maintaining a pretense of nonviolence, Socrates "thought people mattered more than ideas. . . . He loved people, and his ideas came from people, and he thought ideas existed for the benefit of people," not the other way around.

In the popular imagination, Socrates may be the first deep thinker in Western civilization, but in Mr. Johnson's view he was also an anti-intellectual. Which is what makes him one of the good guys. "One of the categories of people I don't like much are intellectuals," Mr. Johnson says. "People say, 'Oh, you're an intellectual,' and I say, 'No!' What is an intellectual? An intellectual is somebody who thinks ideas are more important than people."

And indeed, Mr. Johnson's work and thought are characterized by concern for the human qualities of people. Cicero, he tells me, was not a man "one would have liked to have been friends with." But even so the Roman statesman is "often very well worth reading."

His concern with the human dimension of history is reflected as well in his attitude toward humor, the subject of another recent book, "Humorists." "The older I get," he tells me, "the more important I think it is to stress jokes." Which is another reason he loves America. "One of the great contributions that America has made to civilization," he deadpans, "is the one-liner." The one-liner, he says, was "invented, or at any rate brought to the forefront, by Benjamin Franklin." Mark Twain's were the "greatest of all."

And then there was Ronald Reagan. "Mr. Reagan had thousands of one-liners." Here a grin spreads across Mr. Johnson's face: "That's what made him a great president."

Jokes, he argues, were a vital communication tool for President Reagan "because he could illustrate points with them." Mr. Johnson adopts a remarkable vocal impression of America's 40th president and delivers an example: "You know, he said, 'I'm not too worried about the deficit. It's big enough to take care of itself.'" Recovering from his own laughter, he adds: "Of course, that's an excellent one-liner, but it's also a perfectly valid economic point." Then his expression grows serious again and he concludes: "You don't get that from Obama. He talks in paragraphs."

***
Mr. Johnson has written about the famous and notorious around the world and across centuries, but he's not above telling of his personal encounters with history. He is, he says, "one of a dwindling band of people who actually met" Winston Churchill.

"In 1946," he tells me, "he came up to my hometown because he was speaking at the Conservative Party conference up the road. And I managed to get in just as he was about to leave to make his speech. And I was 16. He seemed friendly, so I was inspired to say, 'Mr. Winston Churchill, sir, to what do you attribute your success in life?' And he said without any hesitation"—here Mr. Johnson drops his voice and puts on a passable Churchill impression—"'Conservation of energy. Never stand up when you can sit down. And never sit down when you can lie down,'" he relates with a laugh. "And I've never forgotten this," he says, "because as a matter of fact, it's perfectly good advice."

Here he adds the kicker: "Interestingly enough, Theodore Roosevelt, who had a lot in common with Winston Churchill in many ways, but was quite a bit older, said of him, 'Oh, that Winston Churchill, he is not a gentleman. He doesn't get to his feet when a lady enters the room.'"

Mr. Carney is editorial page editor of The Wall Street Journal Europe and the co-author of "Freedom, Inc." (Crown Business, 2009).

Printed in The Wall Street Journal, page A13

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Euro down 1.3982

El Hang Seng +0.18%, Australia -1.13%, el Shanghai +1.23%, el Nikkei -1.33%, Korea -0.51%

Los futures del Dow Jones 20 puntos a la baja.

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Copper March 06,20:59
Bid/Ask 4.4580 - 4.4608
Change -0.0022 -0.05%
Low/High 4.4524 - 4.4813
Charts

Nickel March 06,20:54
Bid/Ask 12.9929 - 13.0088
Change -0.0231 -0.18%
Low/High 12.9748 - 13.1290
Charts

Aluminum March 06,20:59
Bid/Ask 1.1527 - 1.1540
Change +0.0009 +0.08%
Low/High 1.1504 - 1.1558
Charts

Zinc March 06,20:59
Bid/Ask 1.1022 - 1.1039
Change -0.0152 -1.36%
Low/High 1.1012 - 1.1456
Charts

Lead March 06,20:55
Bid/Ask 1.1872 - 1.1904
Change -0.0058 -0.48%
Low/High 1.1849 - 1.2026

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Los futures del Dow Jones 33 puntos a la baja, el petroleo arriba de $105. Malas noticias.


9:40 p.m. EST 03/06/11Futures Last Change Settle
Crude Oil 105.67 1.25 104.42
Gold 1437.8 9.2 1428.6
DJ Industrials 12121 -33 12154
S&P 500 1316.30 -4.00 1320.30

9:52 p.m. EST 03/06/11Currencies Last (bid) Prior Day †
Japanese Yen (USD/JPY) 82.24 82.32
Euro (EUR/USD) 1.3972 1.3986
† Late Friday in New York.

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China rebajara el precio de las medicinas en 21%

Oil up 105.78

Au up 1,437.90

Futures cu up 4.4910

Cafe, azucar, etc. a la baja

El euro a la baja 1.3976

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China planea control de precios en las propiedades.

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El ministro de relaciones exteriores renuncio en Japon.

Las companias americanas con cantidades records de cash en sus reservas han empezado a aumentar los dividendos o a pagarlos nuevamente.

El Fed esperara a tener mayor evidencia antes de suspender sus estimulos.

-42

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China torna su atencion a los pobres

Tratando de contener el tipo de protestas que estan reformand al Medio Oriente, el gobierno Chino ha prometido aumentar los sueldos para los menos afluentes y controlar la inflacion, objetivos acompaniados por una movilizacion de la policia para prevenir protestas via internet contra el gobierno.



ASIA NEWSMARCH 7, 2011
China's Focus Turns to Its Poor
Leaders Promise to Improve Livelihoods, Which Have Lagged Growth for Many
By BOB DAVIS And JEREMY PAGE


BEIJING—Looking to head off the kind of anger that is reshaping the Middle East, China's leaders pledged to boost incomes for its less wealthy citizens and to tame inflation, goals accompanied by the mobilization of police to snuff out online appeals for antigovernment protests.

The country's economic plans for this year and for the five-year period through 2015, unveiled at the National People's Congress, the annual legislative session that started Saturday, commit to raising income levels at the rate of economic growth, and call on companies to boost worker wages so they match productivity gains. Incomes haven't kept up with economic growth for at least five years in China.

"We need to reconfigure the line of thinking when it comes to growth," Zhang Ping, head of China's most powerful economic ministry, the National Development and Reform Commission, told a news conference Sunday. "In the past five-year plan, it was absolutely necessary to prioritize maintaining growth," Mr. Zhang said. "Now we want to put more emphasis on ensuring and improving people's livelihood."

The plans, which were hatched well before the outbreak of the so-called Jasmine Revolution in Tunisia in December, build on previous pledges to try to narrow a widening wealth gap in China, while also keeping economic growth humming. China's leaders have long seen economic gains as the key to maintaining social stability, and over the last two weeks, several senior officials have cited growth as the main reason why people are not responding to online appeals over the last two weeks for a Chinese "Jasmine Revolution."

But Wen Jiabao, China's Premier, acknowledged at the start of the congress Saturday that the government needed to urgently address problems such as inflation that threaten social stability and future economic growth.

"We must therefore make it our top priority in macroeconomic control to keep overall price levels stable," Mr. Wen said in his annual work report—roughly equivalent to the U.S. president's State of the Union address.

Sunday, Premier Wen said that China aimed to "basically eradicate poverty" by 2020, the state-run Xinhua news agency reported, and to "greatly" raise its poverty line of 1,196 yuan ($182) per person a year.

Chinese authorities have also launched a massive security crackdown since appeals for antigovernment protests began appearing on Twitter and other web sites that are blocked inside China, but still visible to those who use proxies or virtual private networks to get around China's Internet controls.

Sunday, Beijing government spokesman Wang Hui said protest calls were bound to fail in the capital because people want stability.

"All clear-minded people will know that these people have chosen the wrong place and have the wrong idea. The things they want to see take place have not and cannot occur in Beijing," said Mr. Wang, according to the Associated Press. He vowed that Beijing "will have no such incidents."

Chinese authorities are not taking any chances, however. They have detained dozens of political activists, and deployed thousands of uniformed and plainclothes police around sites in Beijing, Shanghai and other cities where online activists have urged people to stage silent Sunday "strolling" protests.

They have also stepped up Internet controls, and re-imposed many of the restrictions on foreign journalists that were lifted in the run-up to the 2008 Beijing Olympics. The Beijing government said Sunday that all foreign reporters now need prior permission to conduct reporting activities anywhere in the city center. In Shanghai, meanwhile, police detained about a dozen foreign reporters for reporting from the designated protest site without prior permission, according to the Foreign Correspondents' Club of China.

Reflecting the concern, the government Saturday projected spending on internal security items like police, courts, and jails would rise 14% to $95 billion this year, faster even than the growth in China's defense spending.

China's heavy-handed response highlights leaders' pre-occupation with maintaining social stability ahead of a once-a-decade leadership change next year, when President and Communist Party chief Hu Jintao and others are due to retire from their party posts.

During the past five years, worker income matched growth in productivity and gross domestic product in only three of China's 27 provinces and autonomous regions, according to the National Development and Reform Commission. For the new five-year plan, 15 provinces have set the labor-income goal-or picked a higher one—as their target.

In the past, local officials have been graded and promoted on their ability to boost growth. Mr. Zhang didn't specify what measures would be taken to enforce the new goals, but the agency's written directions in a report released over the weekend were clear: Local governments "should not seek rapid growth at all costs or compete for the fastest rate."

Tough enforcement, though, is bound to produce political confrontation. Export industries depend on cheap labor to compete internationally and China's huge state-owned industries have seen their profits increase sharply over the past decade as they were able to keep labor costs at a rate well below increases in productivity.

Moreover, steeper boosts in labor costs could conflict with controlling inflation, which hit 4.9% in January.


Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao addresses delegates at the start of the annual meeting of the Communist Party in Beijing. Video courtesy of Reuters.

Mr. Zhang said the Chinese state was capable of handling inflationary pressures, largely driven by food prices, by tapping grain reserves, giving farmers incentives to produce more and, on occasion, selling food from granaries to drive down consumer prices.

His remarks came a day after Mr. Wen told the National People's Congress that the government aims to cap inflation for the full year "around 4%." The consumer price index rose 3.3% in 2010, higher than the 3% target set last year.

Mr. Wen also said that China would even use its "considerable foreign exchange reserves" to rein in inflation—leading a number of economists to wonder what he meant. Using the reserves to purchase grains, for instance, would push up prices, unless it was matched by price controls or subsidies for Chinese consumers.