First German American Business Forum a Total Success
(AHK USA) - Some 250 companies from both sides of the Atlantic participated in the 1. German American Business Forum in the Hanseatic City of Hamburg, Germany. With a new B2B concept, the German American Chambers of Commerce, Inc., in cooperation with the Representative of German Industry and Trade (RGIT) in Washington, DC, Germany Trade and Invest (GTAI), the Hamburg Chamber of Commerce as well as AmCham Germany, presented a transatlantic information event focusing on US market entry. Industry experts from areas such as energy, transportation and logistics, medical technology, industry and manufacturing, IT and new media, provided insight into the opportunities as well as risks of the North American market. More
Bernhard Mattes New President of AmCham Germany
(AmCham) - On June 7, 2013, the members of the American Chamber of Commerce in Germany, AmCham, elected Bernhard Mattes, Chairman of Ford of Germany, new President of AmCham Germany. The election took place in line with the 110th annual meeting of the chamber. Mattes succeeds Fred B. Irwin who had been at the head of the institution since 1991. More
Germany and U.S. to Sign Agreement to Combat Tax Evasion
(germany.info) - On May 31 Germany and the USA are to sign an agreement to combat tax evasion. The German government sees the agreement as an important step toward putting in place a global model for the automatic sharing of tax-relevant information. The agreement is linked to the US "Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act" (FATCA). More
U.S. Adds 175,000 Jobs in May; Jobless Rate Rises to 7.6%
(The New York Times) - American employers added 175,000 jobs in May, almost exactly the average monthly job growth over the last year, the Labor Department reported, while the unemployment rate ticked up to 7.6 percent from 7.5 percent in April. Economists were relieved that the numbers weren’t worse, given a string of other disappointing data in recent weeks, but noted that recent job trends are nowhere close to bringing the country back to full employment. At the current pace of job growth, it would take nearly five years to get the economy back to the low unemployment rate at the beginning of the recession in December 2007. More
German Genes in American Jeans
(germany.info) - Iconic American blue jean company, Levi Strauss & Co celebrates is 140th anniversary this year. The company was founded by German immigrant Levi Strauss in 1873 and his patented blue jeans became one of the most recognizable pieces of clothing on the planet. Strauss was born in Buttenheim, Bavaria, and came to the United States in 1847 when he was 18 years old. More
Vice Chancellor Rösler for Political Talks in Washington, DC
(germany.info) - Vice Chancellor and Economics Minister Philipp Rösler underscored the importance of the planned transatlantic trade agreement as he visited Washington, DC, on May 23 for political talks. Minister Rösler’s trip to Washington, DC, followed a visit to Silicon Valley, his second this year, to promote Germany as a location for IT startups. More
U.S. Economy Continues Sluggish Recovery
(CNN) - The U.S. economy grew at a slightly slower pace than originally reported in the first quarter, according to the latest revisions released by the Commerce Department. The revisions show that gross domestic product rose at a 2.4% annual pace in the first three months of the year, down slightly from the 2.5% pace originally reported. The report didn't significantly alter the picture of the U.S. economy. We know from the GDP report, as well as other government data, that consumer spending picked up in the first quarter, but job growth continued at roughly the same pace as in the fourth quarter of 2012. More
Crisis States Lead Way as Eurozone's Economic Mood Brightens
(Reuters) - Confidence in the eurozone economy grew by more than expected in May, with hope that the worst of the crisis may be over spreading to countries that have been on its frontline. Economic morale in the 17 states that use the euro increased by 0.8 point to 89.4, the European Commission said. The zone's largest economy, Germany, which is expected to gather momentum in the second quarter of this year, saw a 0.6 point rise in its economic mood. More
Study Shows: Men Can't Read Women's Emotions
(GCRI) - The cliché that men don't understand women is now supported by a study that suggests men struggle to read women's emotions by looking at their eyes. The research, which was led by Boris Schiffer of the LWL-University Hospital in Bochum, Germany, showed that it was difficult for men to read women's emotions from images of their eyes compared with those of men. It also took men longer to interpret women's emotions when viewing these images. More
Siemens to Provide Wind Power for US Nuclear Weapons Plant
(designbuildsource) - German engineering firm Siemens has won a contract from the US federal government to build a wind power facility for America’s last remaining nuclear weapons plant. The National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) has awarded Siemens Government Technology a 20-year contract for the construction and operation of a 11.5 MW wind farm for the Pantex plant, situated near Amarillo in Texas. The new facility is set to be the largest wind farm ever commissioned by the US federal government. It will generate electricity to cover the energy needs of 3,500 households and will save $2.9 million in annual costs. More
