There’s no question that the big “winner” in the global financial crisis has been China. While for the past two years developed economies have been scrambling to keep afloat China has taken a nuanced approach to achieving its economic and political goals.

China has used depressed commodities prices to stock up on long-term supplies of raw materials such as oil, copper, and iron.  And it’s used structural weakness in the U.S. financial system as justification for replacing the dollar as the world’s main reserve currency.

Now, the Red Dragon is looking to make headway on the highway by winning global market share in the automotive market while U.S. heavyweights spin out.

“We aren’t afraid of the financial crisis,” Zhou Fuquan, vice president of Geely Automobile Holdings Ltd. (PINK: GELYF), told Bloomberg News. “On the contrary, we hope it will penetrate even further as

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Hawaii: Pristine black sand beaches… surfing… spectacular volcanic eruptions… and miles of pineapple plantations. If you are like me, this is what comes to mind when you imagine Hawaii.

What may not come to mind, though, when you think of America’s 50th state are its energy resources – and specifically, the fact that it gets 77% of its power from oil-fired power plants. That’s a unique statistic within the United States. Coal-fired plants provide 14% of power, and the remaining 9% comes from renewable sources like wind and solar energy.

Suffice it to say, tourism is Hawaii’s largest industry, with agriculture playing a major role, too. And not unlike the rest of the country, the one thing needed to keep it all running smoothly is a reliable source of electricity.

Problem is, Hawaii is dependent on fossil fuels for more than 90% of its power – an issue that became shockingly clear when

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Everyone was shocked when GM took a gigantic government bailout. What was equally shocking to me was to see GM claim that in 2010, they would have a car capable of 230 mpg. Well, as we all know everything is not always as it seems. When I came across this article by Adrian Veidt, Senior Editor of Casey’s Extraordinary Technology I thought I would share it with you and get your take. The auto industry is changing, will GM be able to finally make the changes it needs to?

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A few weeks ago, Government Motors dropped a public relations bomb when new chief Fritz Henderson announced that the forthcoming Chevy Volt would get an astonishing 230 miles per gallon (that’s 98 kilometers per liter, for our metric-system friends).

For those of you not yet familiar, the Volt is a plug-in hybrid car. The car runs primarily on electric power, with

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First Solar (Nasdaq: FSLR): Stock of the Day

by David Fessler, Advisory Panelist

Competition – as I used to say to my sales force – has a way of keeping competitors honest. The real beneficiary of a healthy business duel, however, is the customer. Particularly when the competition gets down to price.

Nowhere is that more apparent right now than in the solar energy industry. Over the past few weeks, solar panel and module prices have been dropping through the floor. The reason can be summed up in just one word: China.

Executing a strategy not unlike the Japanese car companies did back in the 1970’s and 1980’s, Chinese solar panel manufacturers are selling solar panels for less than it costs to make them.

Suntech Power Holdings (NYSE: STP) and Yingli Green Energy Holding Company, Ltd. (NYSE:YGE)

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Before I get into the “Cash For Traders” topic, I have something to share with you that is very disturbing. I am getting spammed… that’s right, spammed by the White House. I have never asked for e-mails from the White House, nor have I signed up for e-mails from the White House. But for some reason David Axelrod, a close adviser to President Obama, feels he can just e-mail me at will trying to sell Obama’s universal health package.

Mr. Axelrod please stop this practice now! (see White House Spam here)

I never ever envisioned the White House becoming a spammer, nor did I envision the White House resorting to spam tactics. The White House is using the same spam tactics as every other con artist. You know the ones I am talking about… get-rich-quick schemes and work at home

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Bond bubble remerges… details behind the gov’s latest debt struggle… The slow demise of snail mail… USPS forecasts record losses… Customized drugs: Patrick Cox on a breakthrough set to revolutionize health care… Bill Jenkins with another sign the euro is overvalued… his price targets below…

Just when you thought the bond bubble was being saved for another day…

The government managed to auction $39 billion worth of 5-year debt yesterday… barely. Wednesday’s debt sale drew a bid-to-cover ratio of 1.92, the lowest investor demand since September 2008. Low demand forced Uncle Sam to jack up interest rates at the last minute in two separate bond auctions this week — yesterday’s sale and Tuesday’s $42 billion auction of 2-year notes.

So what’s an indebted government to do? Manipulate the market, of course. Bond yields have given back yesterday’s spike partly thanks to the Federal Reserve, which bought $3

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Forget Charles Dickens and A Tale Of Two Cities, I’m talking about right now. After all, when was the last time the U.S. government was willing to give you as much as $4,500 to help you buy a new car . . . and a car company was willing to match it? Also, when was the last time you remember house prices falling 30%?

The story goes that the word “depression” was chosen by President Hoover as a way of describing the economic crisis of the 1930s, because the previously used word “panic” sounded too alarming. Well, with unemployment approaching double digits, and home foreclosures at the highest rate in memory, most Americans are a little depressed right now. But the flip side of the coin is that companies are scrambling to stay in business, and providing consumers (at least the ones who have some loose change left to spend)

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If you live in the United States, there is a good chance the crisis in California is going to affect you. And if you own municipal bonds — either directly or indirectly through other investments — what’s happening in California could have a major impact on your finances.For years, state government budgets have been expanding as the economy grew and the rising housing market swelled property tax coffers. But the severe recession that has brought rising unemployment and a collapse in property values has drastically cut revenues from income, property, sales and corporate taxes.

And state governments are feeling the pinch. According to the National Conference of State Legislators, there are only three states (Arkansas, Wyoming, and North Dakota) that do not face budget shortfalls for fiscal years 2009 or 2010. In other words, 47 states are currently projected to run short on cash in the near future.

And California – the

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Jobs data skewed by ’seasonal adjustments’…  BOE surprises the market…  Oil falls below $60…  China’s reserves continue to grow… And Now… Today’s Pfennig!

Good day…Chuck has a bevy of doctor’s appointments today, so he decided to let me take over the Pfennig. Unfortunately it will go out a little later than usual, as I always struggle to get all of my thoughts together so early in the morning. Its not that I come in late (I was here two hours before everyone else) but it just takes me much longer than Chuck to get it all on paper. But enough of the excuses, I’ve got to get writing.

Weekly jobless claims released in the US yesterday morning fell below 600k for the first time since January but the continuing claims continue to rise, hitting another record. The slight improvement in the weekly numbers was distorted by the automotive sector. Car companies typically shut down plants in

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It was clear to many observers that the Canadian auto parts manufacturer Magna was acting partly as a front company Trojan horse to help get Russian state interests deep into Germany's industrial sector with the purchase of a majority stake in Opel from the bankrupt General Motors.  Although it appeared to be a done deal at first (thanks to Sberbank and the Kremlin pressing their client party, the SPD, to push the sale through), now it appears that Opel is taking in other offers - apparently GM feels that Magna/Sberbank group are using heavy-handed political leverage to influence the terms.  The outcome of this transaction will be very interesting in terms of illuminating Germany's future political and business ties to Russia.From the Financial Times:

Magna, with which GM signed an MoU to buy 55 per cent

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