Latest news with #Merkel
DW
5 days ago
- Automotive
- DW
Germany updates: Deportations up, Volkswagen profits down – DW – 07/25/2025
The number of deportations from Germany is up slightly compared to the first half of last year. Meanwhile, German automobile giant Volkswagen has seen profits tumble as a result of US tariffs. DW has automobile giant Volkswagen has posted a sharp drop in second-quarter profits, citing US tariffs, rising production costs and an increase in sales of electric vehicles with a smaller profit margin. Volkswagen profits dropped to just under €2.3 billion ($2.7 billion) in the second quarter of 2025, a 36.3% decrease on same period last year. The Wolfsburg-based concern said that its Porsche and Audi subsidiaries had performed particularly poorly and that sales in China were also down, but insisted the drop-off was largely in line with analysts' expectations. Chief executive Oliver Blume insisted that Volkswagen is operating in an "extremely challenging environment," while finance director Arno Antlitz said the results were actually "at the higher end" of the company's expectations. "But, in the end, what matters is the money which actually lands in the till," he said. "We've made tangible improvements in design, technology and quality," added Blume. "The order books are well-stocked." Nevertheless, the firm says it will stick to its restructuring plans which it intends to "implement decisively and accelerate where necessary." Volkswagen is expecting to cut 35,000 jobs by 2030. To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video A leading Austrian migration researcher has criticized the German government's deportation policies, calling them a "bluff." "A great deal of effort is achieving very little – all while undermining EU law," claimed Gerald Knaus, chairman of the European Stability Initiative, in the Friday edition of German finance newspaper . Knaus also defended German migration policy under former Chancellor Angela Merkel (CDU) — which has come under severe attack from Merz and his current government. "Germany had irregular migration under control," he claimed. "The core elements of Merkel's policies after 2016 were correct, as shown by the sharp decrease in refugee numbers following the [2016] refugee deal between the European Union and Turkey. Indeed, Knaus warned that the current government's constant criticism of Merkel, who also headed up conservative-led coalitions, only serves to help the far-right. "The CDU is running from its own history and talking down its own success," he opined. "[Now], every time any crime is committed by a migrant, [the far-right AfD] can claim: the CDU is to blame." The number of deportations from Germany rose to more than 11,800 in the first half of this year, according to data released by the Interior Ministry. The figure, provided in response to a parliamentary question from a lawmaker from the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party, represents an increase of over 2,000 on the same period in 2024, during which around 9,500 deportations were carried out. The new conservative-led German government under Chancellor Friedrich Merz (CDU) has promised a tougher approach to illegal migration, tightening border checks, clamping down on "secondary migration" within the European Union and resuming deportation flights to countries such as Afghanistan and Iraq. Earlier this month, Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt (CSU) joined his counterparts from Austria, Denmark, France, the Czech Republic and Poland in calling for a tougher European migration and asylum policy. "Effective returns are essential for maintaining trust in a balanced European migration policy," the ministers said in a joint statement. Welcome to DW's coverage of developments in Germany on Friday, July 25. As the weekend approaches, we'll keep you up to date on stories including: And remember: you can recap on yesterday's Germany news here.
Business Insider
12-07-2025
- Business
- Business Insider
William Blair Remains a Hold on Hillman Solutions (HLMN)
William Blair analyst Ryan Merkel maintained a Hold rating on Hillman Solutions today. The company's shares closed today at $7.77. Elevate Your Investing Strategy: Take advantage of TipRanks Premium at 50% off! Unlock powerful investing tools, advanced data, and expert analyst insights to help you invest with confidence. Make smarter investment decisions with TipRanks' Smart Investor Picks, delivered to your inbox every week. According to TipRanks, Merkel is a 4-star analyst with an average return of 9.5% and a 66.39% success rate. Merkel covers the Industrials sector, focusing on stocks such as Aaon, Beacon Roofing Supply, and Fastenal Company. The word on The Street in general, suggests a Moderate Buy analyst consensus rating for Hillman Solutions with a $10.83 average price target. The company has a one-year high of $12.08 and a one-year low of $6.55. Currently, Hillman Solutions has an average volume of 1.61M. Based on the recent corporate insider activity of 38 insiders, corporate insider sentiment is positive on the stock. This means that over the past quarter there has been an increase of insiders buying their shares of HLMN in relation to earlier this year. Most recently, in May 2025, Robert O. Kraft, the CFO & Treasurer of HLMN bought 140,000.00 shares for a total of $992,600.00.
Business Insider
12-07-2025
- Business
- Business Insider
William Blair Sticks to Their Hold Rating for Global Industrial Company (GIC)
William Blair analyst Ryan Merkel maintained a Hold rating on Global Industrial Company today. The company's shares closed today at $27.70. Elevate Your Investing Strategy: Take advantage of TipRanks Premium at 50% off! Unlock powerful investing tools, advanced data, and expert analyst insights to help you invest with confidence. Make smarter investment decisions with TipRanks' Smart Investor Picks, delivered to your inbox every week. According to TipRanks, Merkel is a 4-star analyst with an average return of 9.5% and a 66.39% success rate. Merkel covers the Industrials sector, focusing on stocks such as Aaon, Beacon Roofing Supply, and Fastenal Company. The word on The Street in general, suggests a Moderate Buy analyst consensus rating for Global Industrial Company with a $30.00 average price target. GIC market cap is currently $1.08B and has a P/E ratio of 17.89.
Irish Times
10-07-2025
- Business
- Irish Times
Germany loosens the purse strings in spite of recession
In Germany , it's always a feast or a famine. After years of dry-bread balanced budgets and thin investment gruel, the government of Chancellor Friedrich Merz has embraced jam-for-all politics. On Tuesday, his federal finance minister Lars Klingbeil presented a draft double budget for 2025-2026 with investment worth €115.7 billion alone this year – up 55 per cent on 2024. The spending surge is thanks largely to a special infrastructure fund agreed by the future coalition partners just after February's federal election. That fund's capital, borrowed outside the balance sheet and European deficit rules, is designed to be spent over the coming decade. About €500 billion will be available to repair and replace crumbling infrastructure, neglected in the Merkel years. READ MORE Another arm of the fund comprises an effective blank cheque for boosting German defence capabilities in line with Nato commitments. Even without the off-balance-sheet trickery, Germany is set to borrow €82 billion this year: no small sum given the country's economy is in its third consecutive year of recession. The extra debt won't thrill the European Commission or Eurogroup head Paschal Donohoe. But Germany still remains well below debt-to-GDP ratios of the UK or US and, so far at least, investors seem sanguine about the extra borrowing if it ends the fiscal famine and stimulates growth. Less impressed are the German voters conditioned in the past decade to believe that all borrowing is bad news. Particularly gloomy are centre-right Christian Democratic Union (CDU) voters, who were promised the exact opposite of what they are now getting. Opposition politicians, who backed changing debt rules to enable the investment fund in March, now accuse Klingbeil of breaking his word. They say he has shunted planned investments in roads, railways and even defence into the investment fund to create fiscal space for expensive clientelist welfare gifts. On Tuesday, a leading CDU ally of Merz conceded that the hard work of consolidation and reform – in particular of Germany's unsustainable pension system – lies ahead. After February's snap election he said Tuesday's budget, seven months late, was about 'buying time'. In Berlin's new jam factory, time really is money.
Yahoo
09-07-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
'Chancellor of lies:' AfD's Weidel skewers Merz over first two months
German far-right leader Alice Weidel on Wednesday launched a fierce attack on Chancellor Friedrich Merz over his young administration's record since taking office in May. "For the bitterly disappointed citizens, you are already the chancellor of lies, Mr Merz, whose broken campaign promises could fill entire catalogues," said Weidel, the co-leader of the anti-immigration Alternative for Germany (AfD). In a speech during a general debate in the Bundestag, Germany's lower house of parliament, Weidel criticized Merz sharply over the controversial decision to cut electricity taxes only for large industries, agriculture and forestry, instead of for the entire population. The measure was included in the coalition agreement between Merz's conservative bloc - the Christian Democratic Union and the Christian Social Union - and the centre-left Social Democratic Party (SPD), but was left out of the draft 2025 budget. "Your word is worth nothing, ever when it stands in black and white in your meagre coalition agreement," said Weidel, calling Merz a "paper chancellor" under the spell of the SPD. In her speech, she also attacked the new government's migration policy, blasting "window dressing exercises" such as Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt's much-criticized effort to toughen up border controls. She further said the government's plans were being financed with an "orgy of debts" and criticized support for Ukraine. In response, Merz rejected Weidel's "half-truths, slander and personal disparagement." Amid the heated scenes, Bundestag President Julia Klöckner called on lawmakers not to "belittle each other personally here and accuse each other of lying."
