Archive for August 2nd, 2009

HONG KONG – The booming Chinese economy won’t have to sweat much to meet its official target of 8% growth this year, and might surpass it.A report published by brokerage CLSA on Monday showed that China’s purchasing managers’ index hit a twelve-month high in July. Eric Fishwick, head of economic research for CLSA, said, “manufacturing… »

TOKYO – When Japanese beverage giants Kirin and Suntory announced in mid-July that they were discussing a merger, the news set off a wave of speculation over what the deal would mean for the country’s beverage industry. Demographics haven’t been kind to any company that sells to the Japanese consumer. A shrinking population that drinks… »

There is no shortage of villains to blame for the global financial crisis. One is the phenomenon of global macroeconomic imbalances-current account deficits in the U.S. and other advanced economies, matched by surpluses in many emerging market and oil-exporting economies. Even if they were not the key factor, global imbalances served as tinder for the… »