Surprise: Australian consumer prices fall.(Brief article)
Gasoline prices in Australia are down 12.4 percent. Fruit prices
fell 5.2 percent (it is summer in Australia) and pharmaceutical prices
were down 5.0 percent. The consumer price index dropped 0.1 . . .
Typhoons slow Philippines 2006 economy.(Brief article)
The Philippines experienced a devastating typhoon season in 2006
with four huge storms causing numerous deaths, and destruction of crops.
According to a CNN News service bulletin on December 1, . . .
Asian fashion trends.
A January 1, 2007 posting on the stylebubble.typepad.com website
begins with this quotation from the well known designer Coco Chanel.
"Fashion is not something that exists in dresses only. Fashion . . .
South Korean household expenditures remain steady.(International
Monetary Fund )
A first look at the chart above-without the trend line-gave the
immediate impression that South Korea's household expenditures (in
yellow) an excellent indicator of consumer spending in general, . . .
Concern about Sri Lankan inflation.
In October 2006, talks in Geneva aimed at ending a 20-year civil
war in Sri Lanka collapsed, and fighting promptly broke out anew. The
civil war is another example of ancient ethnic hatreds, which . . .
Optimism prevails for India in 2007.
India`s one-billion-plus population are buying more cars, phones,
homes and goods than ever before and its companies have expanded quickly
to meet demand domestically and to tap overseas business . . .
Australian consumers now confident.(Survey)
The word from Australia, as that country heads into 2007, is that
while consumer sentiment "surged" in December 2006, the
results do not point to boom times. With the release of the latest
consumer . . .
Malaysia's consumers are cautious.(survey on consumer
sentiment)(Survey)(Brief article)
Third quarter 2006 results are in from Malaysia's consumer
sentiment survey conducted by the Malaysian Institute for Economic
Research (MIER). Under the heading of "More Cheerful," the
MIER . . .
Wage increases likely in Japan.(Brief article)
In a long speech assessing economic developments and looking
forward to 2007 on December 25, 2006, the Governor of the Bank of Japan
noted a phrase often heard in Japanese economic circles whenever . . .
Vietnam joins WTO: Official January 11, 2007.(World Trade
Organization)(Brief article)
A December 29, 2006 report circulated on the Agence France-Presse
wires called Vietnam, "one of the most promising emerging markets
in Asia."
One reason: Vietnam officially joins the World Trade . . .
Fast Moving Consumer Goods (FMCG).
China and India are the emerging market leaders in the region, and
the differences between their fast moving consumer goods (FMCG) sectors
is instructive.
In a revealing series of reports, "From . . .
Hong Kong's market economy flaunts efficiency.
As the graph above demonstrates, private consumption in Hong Kong
is growing strongly, even at a time when GDP has begun a widely expected
decline. Many financial observers attribute the decline to . . .
Politics slows Bangladesh economy.
In September 2006 the International Monetary Fund (IMF) estimated
that economy of Bangladesh would grow 6.2 percent in 2006. What a
difference the span of two and a half months makes. On November . . .
Thai economy slows but not due to coup.
Much of the reporting about the impact of Thailand's September
19, 2006 military coup on the country's economy has been
uncritical. For the first half of 2006, GDP was initially reported to
have . . .
New Zealand confidence index steady.(Survey)(Statistical
data)
New Zealand consumers are beginning to feel more confidence again
as shown by one of the region's consumer confidence indexes. The
Roy Morgan International market research firm (Melbourne) has . . .
Inflation hits durables in India.(Survey)(Brief article)
On November 10, 2006, The Economic Times (Guragon) expressed
mystification at the idea that while India's overall consumer
confidence was high, retail sales were not. The Times said,
"Consumer . . .
Indonesia's recovery continues.(United States Embassy
)(Brief article)
A posting on the website of the United States (US) Embassy with the
date of December 2006 says that the Indonesian recovery is still on
track. In the third quarter 2006, the economy expanded at the . . .
Wealth inequality grows in Pakistan.(Brief article)
A local Pakistani economist speaking to a reporter for the BBC News
service says there is a dark side to the country's macroeconomic
progress. He says, "there has been an alarming growth . . .
Coffee consumption on the rise in Asia.
According to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United
Nations, until prices collapsed in 1998-due mainly to oversupply-coffee
was the second most valuable traded commodity after oil. . . .
Japan's economy is gaining strength.
Arguably, no issue has dominated market news from Japan over the
past few years as strongly as consumer prices. The Bank of Japan (BOJ),
the country's central bank, has been battling deflation, and . . .
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