
Germany Needs a Scarier Army to Daunt Putin
Europe's biggest economy needs more fiscal firepower to sustainably fund its armed forces and more soldiers to secure the North Atlantic Treaty Organization's borders. A reform of its needlessly restrictive so-called debt brake and reviving military service should therefore be at the top of the next government's priority list.
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


CNBC
an hour ago
- CNBC
German economy contracts by 0.1% in second quarter
The German economy shrank slightly by 0.1% in the second quarter of 2025 from the previous three months, flash data showed Wednesday. The figure aligned with the expectations of analysts polled by Reuters. U.S. tariffs and their impact have been a top concern for European economies. U.S. president Donald Trump's so-called reciprocal tariffs initially came into effect in April as the second quarter kicked off. The duties were then however temporarily reduced, with the last few months plagued by much uncertainty as negotiations for trade agreement were underway. Some higher sectoral tariffs, including on autos and steel and aluminum, have also been in effect. The European Union over the weekend agreed to a trade framework with the U.S., which includes 15% tariffs being imposed on the bloc. Some goods are set to be exempt, and levies on autos have been reduced to the baseline level. Later on Wednesday, a preliminary reading of the euro zone's gross domestic product is expected. According to a Reuters poll, economists are expecting growth to have flatlined. In the first three months of 2025, the euro zone economy had grown 0.6%.


Bloomberg
an hour ago
- Bloomberg
Earnings Picture Is 'Actually Quite Good,' Uleer Says
Deutsche Bank's Maximilian Uleer discusses how the trade deal between the US and the European Union is affecting markets and what it can mean for European stocks. "I think the earnings picture is actually quite good," he tells Bloomberg Television. He also talks about the German fiscal stimulus, saying that until the impulse reaches order books, "there's no reason to believe that Europe is short-term outperforming US equities." (Source: Bloomberg)
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Yahoo
Porsche trims outlook as tariffs add to 'storm' of challenges
By Rachel More BERLIN (Reuters) -Volkswagen's embattled luxury brand Porsche cut its full-year profitability target on Wednesday after the EU's trade deal with U.S. President Donald Trump and reported a 400-million-euro ($462 million) hit from tariffs in the first half. The burden of tariffs on car imports to the United States only added to Porsche's woes, as it undergoes a costly restructuring while facing weakness in its key market China and a sluggish transition to electric cars. "We continue to face significant challenges around the world. And this is not a storm that will pass," Porsche CEO Oliver Blume said. Taking into account the newly agreed tariff of 15% from August 1, the German carmaker expects group sales this year in the range of 37 to 38 billion euros, in line with its previous forecast, and a return on sales of between 5 and 7%, down from a previously expected 6.5-8.5% range. Countermeasures such as price adjustments are included in that outlook as Porsche seeks to mitigate the damage, the company said. Group figures released last week showed Porsche's operating profit collapsing by 91% year on year in the second quarter, to 154 million euros. In February, Porsche announced an additional 1,900 job cuts over the next four years but said it cannot announce any forced redundancies under a location safeguarding agreement valid until 2030. On Wednesday, Porsche said its management was "resolutely pushing ahead with extensive measures to rescale and recalibrate the company", with negotiations with employee representatives to begin in the second half of the year. In the first half, Porsche booked special expenses for the company's realignment of around 200 million euros and around 500 million euros for battery activities. ($1 = 0.8655 euros) Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data