It is widely believed that Germany’s fiscal position is the strongest in Europe and that it is the pillar of the Euro-zone.

Then something unexpected happened last week.

The German government could not borrow all the money it needed! Well, not at the currently low interest rates, at least. What if the financial market realizes that Germany’s fiscal position is actually worse than the United States? Kyle Bass, the manager of a hedge fund called Hayman Capital,  who made millions by gambling against sub-prime mortgage bond market, explains…

Australia

Mon, Jan 3 2011 – New Year’s Day (Observed)

Wed, Jan 26 2011 – Australia Day

Fri, Apr 22 2011 – Good Friday

Mon, Apr 25 2011 – ANZAC Day

Tue, Apr 26 2011 – Easter Monday

Mon, Jun 13 2011 – Queen’s Birthday

Mon, Aug 1 2011 – August Bank Holiday

Mon, Oct 3 2011 – Labour Day

Mon, Dec 26 2011 – Christmas Day (Observed)

Tue, Dec 27 2011 – Boxing Day (Observed)

Canada

Sat, Jan 1 2011 – New Year’s Day

Fri, Apr 22 2011 – Good Friday

Mon, Apr 25 2011 – Eastern Monday

Mon, May 24 2011 – Victoria Day

Fri, Jul 1 2011 – Canada Day

Mon, Sep 5 2011 – Labour Day

Mon, Oct 10 2011 – Thanksgiving Day

Fri, Nov 11 2011 – Remembrance Day

Sun, Dec 25 2011 – Christmas Day

Mon, Dec 26 2011 – Boxing Day

France

Sat, Jan 1 2011 – New Year’s Day

Mon, Apr 25 2011 – Easter Monday

Sun, May 1 2011 – Labour Day

Sun, May 8 2011 – Victory Day (Fête de la Victorie)

Thu, Jun 2 2011 – Ascension Day (Ascension catholique).

Mon, Jun 13 2011 – Whit Monday (Lundi de Pentecôte)

Thu, Jul 14 2011 – National Day (Bastille Day)

Mon, Aug 15 2011 – Assumption Day

Tue, Nov 1 2011 – All Saints’ Day

Fri, Nov 11 2011 – Armistice Day

Sun, Dec 25 2011 – Christmas Day

Germany

Sat, Jan 1 2011 – New Year’s Day

Fri, Apr 22 2011 – Good Friday

Mon, Apr 25 2011 – Easter Monday

Sun, May 1 2011 – Labour Day

Thu, Jun 2 2011 – Ascension Day

Mon, Jun 13 2011 – Whit Monday

Mon, Oct 3 2011 – Day of German Unity

Sun, Dec 25 2011 – Christmas Day

Mon, Dec 26 2011 – Boxing Day

Hong Kong SAR

Sat, Jan 1 2011 – New Year’s Day

Thu, Feb 3 2011 – Lunar New Year’s Day

Fri, Feb 4 2011 – Lunar New Year Holiday

Sat, Feb 5 2011 – Lunar New Year Holiday

Sat, Apr 5 2011 – Ching Ming Festival

Fri, Apr 22 2011 – Good Friday

Sat, Apr 23 2011 – Holy Saturday

Mon, Apr 25 2011 – Easter Monday

Mon, May 2 2011 – Labour Day (Observed)

Tue, May 10 2011 – Buddha Day Holiday

Mon, Jun 6 2011 – Tuen Ng (Dragon Boats Festival)

Fri, Jul 1 2011 – HKSAR Establishment Day

Tue, Sep 13 2011 – Chinese Mid-Autumn Festival (Observed)

Sat, Oct 1 2011 – National Day

Wed, Oct 5 2011 – Chung Yeung Festival

Mon, Dec 26 2011 – Christmas Day (Observed)

Tue, Dec 27 2011 – Boxing Day (Observed)

Italy

Sat, Jan 1 2011 – New Year’s Day

Thu, Jan 6 2011 – Epiphany

Mon, Apr 25 2011 – Eastern Monday

Mon, Apr 25 2011 – Liberation Day

Sun, May 1 2011 – Labour Day

Sun, Jun 2 2011 – Anniversary of the Republic

Mon, Aug 15 2011 – Assumption of the Virgin

Tue, Nov 1 2011 – All Saints’ Day

Thu, Dec 8 2011 – Immaculate Conception

Sun, Dec 25 2011 – Christmas Day

Mon, Dec 26 2011 – St. S

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MINNEAPOLIS – Faced with a stubborn slide in sales at its U.S. stores, Best Buy Co. Inc. on Thursday announced its steepest round of cuts: closure of 50 big box stores and elimination of 400 positions at its corporate headquarters in Richfield, Minn. Officials did not reveal which stores are on the chopping block.

The company also didn’t disclose how many store employees will lose their jobs, but that number will likely be in the thousands since each store employs roughly 100 workers, including so-called Blue Shirts and Geek Squad technicians.

Best Buy, once known as the undisputed discount king of consumer electronics, has been struggling to find its place in a world dominated by flashy high-end brand temples like Apple Stores and low-cost Internet retailers like Amazon. Customers have been increasingly migrating online where they often find better deals, forcing Best Buy to figure out a reason why shoppers would need to visit an actual store.

Last year, Best Buy lost a staggering $1.2 billion as it deeply discounted merchandise to keep pace with rivals Amazon and Wal-Mart.

All in all, the company hopes Best Buy closings will save $800 million over the next three years, savings the company plans to use to fund its new “connected” store remodels, international expansion and digital services.

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Crude prices dipped slightly on Friday while heating oil prices nudged upwards following the previous day’s massive sell-off on fears the world economy is dipping back into recession.

Crude oil for September delivery fell 12 cents, or 0.2 percent, to finish at $82.26 a barrel at the NYMEX. Heating oil posted a small climb. Crude lost 3.7 percent for the week amid concerns over the European debt crisis and weakening US economic indicators.

Market commentators said Friday’s up and down trading was driven by other markets like the strengthening US dollar and reflected continuing uncertainty on Wall Street.

Thursday’s dramatic falls, in which heating oil shed 9 cents and crude lost $5.20 a barrel, followed more lackluster economic data out of the US and widespread fears the global economy is heading into another slide.

Oil prices initially rebounded on Friday buoyed by a rise in the stock market. But th

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After a steep decline in June, both the New York Empire manufacturing and the Philadelphia Fed index recovered somewhat in July. However, their levels at around zero indicate no or little expansion in the manufacturing sector. In contrast, the ISM manufacturing index actually increased by 1.8 points to 55.3 in June, signaling fairly robust growth. Given that the ISM new order component has been quite weak for the last two months (at 51.0 and 51.6 respectively) and durable goods orders (ex transportation) were broadly flat in June, we expect the ISM manufacturing index to have eased somewhat further to about 54.0 in July. The ISM non-manufacturing index has been broadly stable at 53.6 on average from April to June. As the latest Beige Book reported some improvement in the service sector, we expect the index to have risen moderately in July to about 54.5.

Personal income will probably have increased by 0.1% mom in June, as average hourly earnings were unchanged mom and aggregate hours worked posted a modest increase of 0.1 % only.

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Then pop along to the next Margate Jelly at the Westgate Pavilion on Wednesday 28th March.

Jason Hulott from internet marketing experts Speedie Consultants (and co-founder of Margate Jelly) is offering free 20 minute slots in an Online Marketing Surgery to help you with a pressing online marketing issue. There will be no selling at this surgery just useful helpful and advice.

To take advantage of one of these slots please book now and send an email to jason@speediepr.co.uk with your preferred slot time. Slots will be allocated on a first come first served basis…. please to see the slots available

Wobble down to Margate Jelly Margate Jelly is a co-working group that brings together local freelancers, entrepreneurs, small business owners and homeworkers once a month and gives you the opportunity to experience the buzz of the office environment and meet like-minded people. You can pop along for a coffee and a chat or stay for the whole day (it runs from 10am-2pm). Wi-fi and seating is available and refreshments can be purchased. I

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Creston, IL – I’ve been thinking about 2012. Actually I’ve been thinking about the coming year, the Mayan calendar, 1984, the economy, the “recovery,” unemployment, the election, and outside factors. 2011 is now in the history books and thank the Almighty God for that fact! January starts a new year, and the American public is normally filled with new hope for a brighter future. There is hope for 2012, but there is also the feeling of the unknown for those things which are beyond our control. Never before in my lifetime are there so many things hanging over us that could greatly impact our daily lives. We have gotten thru the tough times before and we have become better and stronger for the process.

You see we are Americans, and we have prevailed. We shall do the same in 2012. For several years now, many have been thinking about the Mayan calendar which is thousands of years old. This calendar abruptly stops on December 21st, 2012 for no apparent reason. This has been a central theme in the Armageddon media and the apocalyptic fringes. There have been movies made about it.

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Some of the biggest Wall Street investment banks have slashed their oil price forecasts to reflect developments in Libya and general economic gloom.

But the bearish sentiments come just weeks after Goldman Sachs and the International Energy Agency predicted surging world demand would send crude and heating oil prices higher next year.

JP Morgan and Citibank Group both trimmed their projected prices for crude this week, citing waning oil demand forecasts and an improving supply picture, marketwatch.com reported. Morgan Stanley and Goldman Sachs sounded notes of caution.

Citigroup’s projections were the most dramatic. The bank cut its price forecast for the US benchmark West Texas Intermediate crude to $72 a barrel for 2012 – down from a previous forecast of $80. Cru

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German GDP will probably have increased by about 0.5% qoq in Q2. Moreover, the Q1 growth rate could be revised upwards. On 16 August, Destatis (the German Federal Statistical Office) is publishing its “flash release” on German Q2 GDP; a detailed breakdown of the expenditure components will follow on 1 September. Changes in inventories and investment in machinery and equipment are likely to have contributed positively to overall GDP growth, unlike private consumption. Construction investment and net exports will probably have declined, with imports having increased more than exports. Overall EMU GDP is likely to have increased only slightly in Q2.

Following its usual seasonal pattern, the EMU current account is expected to have improved in June, just like the corresponding German figure. However, the EMU trade balance will probably have remained more or less unchanged in June, since the corresponding German figure went down.

Eurostat is publishing the final EMU HICP data for July. We

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Looking for a freelance wordpress designer for a range of projects and keeping sites up to date with new installs / upgrades.

We have over 100 sites and some will need redesigning. We also have new client work coming in all the time so lots of scope for project work.

Using Woothemes and understanding php for plugin coding also an advantage.

Looking for freelancers only this is an adhoc role and payment is on a fixed project basis.

Would prefer someone UK based and freelance We not looking to employ a design company.

Please send samples or urls you have worked on.