Financial professionals are cautiously optimistic about economic growth in 2007, according to a new survey conducted by the Association for Financial Professionals (AFP). Forecasting modest growth for the year ahead, survey respondents expect their organizations to expand their U.S.-based workforces in the coming year. However, financial professionals also cite factors including volatile energy costs, the declining value of the U.S. dollar and rising health care costs as issues of concern.
CSM Worldwide is predicting another lackluster year of auto sales in the United States. The sales forecasting group at the global automotive forecasting and advisory firm is projecting sales to descend to a nine-year low of 16.2 million units in 2007.
The East Asian economy (excluding Japan) is projected to grow by 7.4% in 2006, according to a report released today by the Institute of Developing Economies, Japan External Trade Organization.
The majority of foreign-affiliated firms* operating in Japan have a favorable view of their business performance in the country, according to the results of a survey released today by the Japan External Trade Organization (JETRO). A total of 936 firms replied to the survey, or 32.0% of the 2,929 firms sent questionnaires.
In 2003, China's online advertisement market scale reached RMB1.08 billion, increasing by over 100% compared to RMB490 million in 2002. In 2004, online advertisement market in China (except search engine) has increased from RMB1.08 billion to RMB1.9 billion with a growth rate of 75.9%, indicating that whole online advertisement market maintains a high-speed growth trend.
The production and sales of China's battery industry maintained a high-speed growth in 2004. With the recovery of the world economy, the import and export of our battery products has increased, but the international competition in battery market has also become more intense.
Fitch Ratings says European manufacturers enjoy stronger credit profiles and higher ratings than their US counterparts but remains concerned that the downtrend in the US may be replicated in Europe. Although the outlook for the auto industry is stable in Europe, this stability is fragile. The main common themes and differences between the western European and US automotive industries are reviewed in a special report issued today.
China's demand for steel and steel products has grown at a fast pace in the past decade. In the next five years, both production and demand will continue to grow.
