Word: creditors
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That's what happens when you're the world's biggest creditor: you get to drop hints like that, which would be enough by themselves to create international economic havoc if they were ever leaked. (Every time any official in Beijing muses publicly about seeking an alternative to the U.S. dollar for the $2.1 trillion China holds in reserve, currency traders have a heart attack.) If Americans became a bit more like the Chinese - if they saved more and spent less, consistently over time - they wouldn't have to worry about all that...
...Indeed, China is increasingly open about both its ambitions and its concerns over U.S. economic policy, given its position as Washington's largest foreign creditor. Beijing never signed on to what became known in the late 1990s as the Washington Consensus on global economic policy, which called for free trade, privatization, light-touch regulation, prudent fiscal policies and - at least as many interpreted the consensus - free capital flows. The U.S. Treasury, in the wake of the credit meltdown, has put forward a plan to enhance regulation of its own capital markets, but that is unlikely to prevent Beijing from continuing...
...China can also begin extricating itself from the "dollar trap," in which the country, through its trade, amasses giant surpluses of dollars, which forces it to invest in dollar assets. This is why China, which holds $805 billion in U.S. Treasury securities, is the U.S.'s largest creditor. But this dollar hoard makes China's national wealth vulnerable to the whims of Washington's economic management. One of the reasons Beijing has been urging a gradual reduction in dollar dependence is the massive losses China could suffer if the value of the greenback was to erode as a result...
...Sure, discount stores tend to withstand downturns. But since the slowdown began, two of Primark's competitors - MK One and Select - have been restructured under creditor-appointed managers. What makes Primark different - and keeps customers interested - is a keen eye for fashion trends worthy of a more expensive retailer. Devotees call the store Primani or Pradamark in honor of its acute fashion sense. And hot styles are delivered with commendable speed. New products can take as little as six weeks to hit the hangers. Primark has bridged "the gap between sheer value and fast fashion," says Robert Clark of London...
...lost his trousers in the credit crunch. Iceland's Straumur Bank, CB Holding's major shareholder, is itself in the midst of restructuring after being bailed out by the Icelandic government in March. In Spain, once mighty Valencia is effectively controlled these days by local lender Bancaja, its major creditor, after hapless management and a soured stadium-development plan left the club about $725 million in debt. (See pictures of the global financial crisis...