Posts Tagged car
The Truth About Rare Earth Supply And Demand
Posted by Oksana Grebenjuk in Business, Trading Markets on Ноябрь 9th, 2010
Mention rare earths these days, and you might be met with a confused expression by those frothing over how «the bubble» popped on short-lived Chinese quotas, and the bearish headline assaults that are more fiction than fact… The idea that supply outstrips demand is ridiculous, at best.
China wants to build 330GW worth of wind generators. They’d need 59,000 tons of neodymium for a project of that scale. That’s more than the country’s entire annual output. Essentially, they’d be cleaning out supply, leaving nothing for the rest of the world.
Without neodymium, the production of a whole host of technology — including medical devices like magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) machines — would be kaput for everybody else.
How can a fake bubble pop? How are we to believe a rare earth bubble exists? Wake up. What we have here is not a rare earth bubble. What we have here is a rare earth supply problem. One that cannot satisfy the demand of China, let alone the rest of the world…
There are reports of China’s plans to set up a strategic reserve of 10 rare metals to stabilize supply and keep prices afloat, alluding to the Middle Kingdom’s growing supply concern. And they’re looking to eventually outlaw all rare earth exports in the next 10 years, according to the Ministry of Commerce. Read the rest of this entry »
Toyota recalls new Prius
Posted by Oksana Grebenjuk in Budget on Февраль 10th, 2010
Toyota Motor Corp (7203.T) said it is recalling nearly half a million of its flagship Prius and other hybrid cars for braking problems as it seeks to address criticism over the handling of its worst safety crisis.
The world’s largest automaker is under fire for two other recalls covering more than 8 million vehicles worldwide due to problems with slipping floormats and sticky accelerator pedals.
It also faces a potential rush of litigation for crashes linked to those problems and blamed for 19 deaths and numerous injuries in the United States over the past decade.
Chastised by safety authorities and members of the Obama administration for moving too slowly on those recalls, Toyota President Akio Toyoda said he never believed the company was infallible, but it had always tried to repair defects swiftly.
«Let me assure everyone that we will redouble our commitment to quality as a lifeline of our company», Toyoda, the grandson of the company’s founder, told a news conference in Tokyo. Read the rest of this entry »
Portfolio makeover: Is our big debt doing us in?
Posted by Oksana Grebenjuk in Budget on Январь 6th, 2010
Marc and Sharon LeRoux always dreamed of opening a business together. They took the plunge in 2006, tapping home equity to buy a franchise selling pre-made meals to busy families. Alas, the business failed, and last year the couple closed it down.
Fortunately, neither had quit their day jobs — Sharon is an engineer at Hewlett-Packard, Marc owns a specialty game store. But they still have $154,000 on a home-equity line of credit from the venture dragging them down. «Our income is very good, but we’re living paycheck to paycheck,» say Sharon. «And I’m sure we’re underfunding our retirement and our kids’ college.» (They are parents of Marie, 15, Nicole, 12, and Marc, 5.)
That debt is indeed an obstacle, says Salem, Ore. financial planner Ron Keleman. It eats up $1,000 a month. In spite of that, they’ve been keeping up with retirement, managing to stash away $12,000 a year. At that pace, says Keleman, they’ll have about $1.25 million by age 65, assuming a 7% average annual return (which they may be able to get if they build more growth into their portfolio).
The good news: That amount, along with Social Security, should be enough for their modest income goals. The bad news: They’ve been unable to start an emergency fund — savings that are essential in such uncertain times. As for college, they’re aiming to have saved a year of state-school tuition for each kid . While they can probably get there, wiping out the HELOC would allow them to cover even more. Read the rest of this entry »
‘Cash for clunkers’ program gains speed
Posted by Oksana Grebenjuk in Budget on Июль 27th, 2009
Customers and auto dealers have moved rapidly to take advantage of the «cash for clunkers» program that’s designed to entice motorists into more fuel-efficient vehicles.
The Car Allowance Rebate System program was signed into law in June, but details weren’t finalized until Thursday.
Dealers were allowed to register with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration to participate beginning Friday morning.
Some began touting the much-discussed program weeks ago, and customers quickly responded. Crater Lake Ford sales manager Mike Frame said the dealership already had deposits for some purchases prior to Friday and another 50 customers had indicated they were ready to buy.
«It’s good for dealers and sparked interest from people who may not qualify,» Frame said.
«We expect to be extremely busy for the next week to 10 days.»
The government estimates the $1 billion program will generate sales of 250,000 vehicles at the nation’s 19,700 new-car dealers. If the anticipated sales were spread evenly among all the dealerships, it would amount to about 12 cars per dealer. Read the rest of this entry »
The new rules of car buying
Posted by Oksana Grebenjuk in Budget on Май 8th, 2009
You’ve seen the headlines: automakers on the brink, sales slowing to a crawl, credit tighter than ever. Yet amid all of this gloom there’s a silver lining: deals of a lifetime. But to snag one, you have to learn how to navigate today’s uncharted market.
Rule No. 1: You can find a deal anywhere, and we mean anywhere
You can hardly escape the grim news surrounding the car industry: an 11th-hour federal loan package to help General Motors and Chrysler survive to the new year, frugal consumers shying away from big-ticket purchases — especially four-wheeled ones — and tighter credit making it tougher for the few willing buyers to borrow. November auto sales plunged 37% from a year earlier, according to Autodata, a sales tracking firm. Even after production cutbacks, ports are stacked high with new cars that can’t fit on dealer lots.
Where there’s an inventory glut, there’s a fire sale, and that’s great news for you. Desperate car makers are begging you to buy with extraordinary deals, from 0% loans to more than $7,000 cash back. «The level of incentives is unprecedented,» says Jack Nerad, a market analyst at car-price publisher Kelley Blue Book. «It is almost mind boggling.»
Rebates and low-interest loans are nothing new, of course. What’s different today is how large they are — and how widespread. Last summer, with gas at $4 a gallon, the incentives were limited mainly to gas-guzzling SUVs and trucks. Now you’ll find deals on small cars too. Read the rest of this entry »
What to Buy While the Economy Is in the Tank
Posted by Oksana Grebenjuk in Investing on Апрель 8th, 2009
We’ve long pointed to the silver lining of a down economy here at the Wallet. Sometimes, we’re downright optimistic.
Yes, nationwide unemployment is at 8.5% and jobs keep being shed. Yes, excessive consumer spending is part of what got us into this mess. But the majority of people are still working. We, like the rest of the world, have no clue how much longer the Great Recession will last, but if you’re a prudent saver and spender, there’s no sense in wasting some historic buying opportunities.
Forbes has a slide show of 10 things to buy when the economy is down. Their list includes:
1. A house
2. A car
3. A vacation
4. Toys
5. High-dividend stocks Read the rest of this entry »
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