Lynchpin

This week's article from the guardian.co.uk describes Germany as being the “lynchpin of the euro’s viability”, it also reports a suggestion that Mrs Merkel has suggested that Germany should leave the euro.

Please read the article and answer the following questions. Discuss the answers with your teacher or colleagues.

1. What does the word wrangling mean?

1. Arguing
2. Fighting
3. catching wild cows in America
4. a type of clothing

2. Mrs Merkel wanted certain countries to lose their voting rights in EU councils, which countries was she referring to? What argument did she use to support this idea?
3. Which is the next country to need rescue according to the article?

Surge in Christmas shopping

This week’s article is discussing the current surge in shopping because of the nearness of Christmas. Read the article and answer the following questions, have a discussion with your teacher in class about this topic.

1.Does Christmas have this effect in your country?

Write a short email to a friend in the UK telling them about Christmas shopping in your country.  Add it as a comment or mail it to me.

2. Where are people getting the extra money for all this shopping from?

3. What does the word lacklustre mean? Explain it as a comment in this blog.

4. What will happen to shop sales in the New Year according to the article?

5. Why does Samuel Tombs think people are shopping so much now?

Herd mentality

This weeks word of the week is herd mentality. In our article the author puts forward the idea that investors following each other when investing has cost them hundreds of pounds in lost profits.
Read the Telegraph article and then discuss the following points in class or with a colleague in English.

1. The article states that following the herd means investors often buy at the top of the market and sell at the bottom. Explain to a non financial person why this causes them a problem.
2. Why do you think the herd mentality exists?
3. In the article Colin Maclean is recommending buying shares in companies with overseas exposure. Why is this?
4. Read the paragraph which starts "Robert Burdett of..." and decide what type of investment Robert is recommending. Write a short paragraph to explain his recommendation.

Flagging Means Declining in strength; weakening:

Our article this week is features Wolfgang Schaeuble's attack on America's quantitative easing policy.Read the article and:-

Why is Herr Schaeuble so againsthttp://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=5447842808563114257 this policy? Do you agree with him? What should the USA do to stimulate its ecomony?

Write an email to Herr Schaeuble saying why you agree with him or not, post it to this blog or get your teacher to correct it for you.

Write an email to the US finance minister explain what you think they should do in the current economic situation,post it to this blog or get your teacher to correct it for you.

Have a good week

Short-termism

This week's article concerns short-termism in the field of takeovers and the city.This story from Yahoo follows up the takeover panel's proposals earlier in the week.
Questions following on from the text.

1. Why is short-termism a problem in business?
2. Why is it a particular problem when a business is taken over?
3. Should all investors in a company have equal rights or should long term investors have more rights?
4. Is it easy for a foreign company to take over a company in your country?
5. What are the possible dangers of such a takeover?

Write your answers in the comment section or discuss this topic with your teacher in class.

IMF - "Steering Committee" fails to find ...

Our word or phrase of the week for this week is "steering committee".I have taken our article from yahoo this morning where they are reporting on the IMF steering committee's attempts to deal with a possible future currency  war.
Exercises
Read the article and then write a short report to summarize the meeting.

Do you agree with Dominique Strauss-Kahn's opinion about co-operation? Why Why not? Please write a short note to your teacher to explain your opinion.


Which countries are said in the article to agree with the United States and which to disagree?

Create a short table to show this.

Stinginess is the word of the week

Our word of the week this week is stinginess as Chinese Billionaires were accused of this after not attending a charity banquet organised by Bill Gates and Warren Buffett. Read the article from the Guardian and answer the following questions.

• What famous Dickens character was accused of being stingy?
• Do you agree that the Chinese billionaires are stingy or are they being careful not to expose how much money the have to the world.
• Is American Billionaires philanthropy only a "tax dodge."
• Write a letter to a Billionaire asking him her for money for your favourite charity. Explain why it is a good cause.
• How the money will be spent
• What benefit the billionaire will have if they give the charity the money.
• Give your letter to your teacher to check or post it to this blog as a comment.