Entries from Chemicals & The Economy tagged with 'new normal'
US shale gas - 'its a demand thing'
The 25 years of the BabyBoomer demand supercycle between 1983-2007 cover the careers of most people in the industry. Over this quarter-century, we all grew to accept that low-cost and reliable supply was key to success. Demand would always take...
Sustaining Growth as the West Arrives at the Demographic Cliff
Are you worried about the economic outlook for your company, for your family and for your country? Do you suspect that current policies may be doing more harm than good? Are you interested in exploring a new analysis that...
Upcoming presentations on New Normal themes
The blog is delighted to have been asked to address a wide variety of industry and investor conferences over the next few months. The arguments of our 'Boom, Gloom and the New Normal' eBook are clearly starting to make sense...
Pimco says demographics turning boom to bust
The head of Pimco, the world's largest bond fund managers, provides influential support this month for the blog's argument in 'Boom, Gloom and the New Normal' about the importance of today's demographic changes. Bill Gross comments as follows in his...
The blog on CNBC Africa
The blog was interviewed on CNBC Africa's 'Beyond Markets' programme last week, during its visit to AECI in Johannesburg. Hosted by Karema Brown, the programme focuses on the news that drives markets across the continent. The 3 minute interview...
Companies need to plan for slower global growth
As promised, the blog looks today at the business implications of population ageing and slower economic growth. The chart shows official US household expenditure data, by category. The overall message is clear: spending peaks by the age of 55 years,...
The end of constant growth
"You cannot just sit back and expect things to happen the way they have happened in the past, especially in emerging markets." This insight from a senior Hong Kong-based executive with a global polyethylene (PE) producer highlights the risks faced...
Fashion discovers the New Old 55+ generation
Slowly, consumer companies are waking up to the fact that youth markets have gone ex-growth in the developed world. Instead, the New Old 55+ generation are the main potential source of growth. As fashion editor Vanessa Friedman notes, a new...
80 is the new 60, as youth markets go ex-growth
The G7 countries (Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, UK, USA) account for nearly 50% of global GDP. Today, however, their populations are ageing rapidly. As consultants AT Kearney (ATK) note in a report on consumer spending patterns: • The G7...
US consumers enter the New Normal
The chart above opens chapter 7 of 'Boom, Gloom and the New Normal', which looks at the changes taking place in consumer markets. June's US retail sales provide clear evidence of the trends it describes: • They grew at the...
Most pension funds have negative returns since 2007
The chart above should be of great interest to anyone who hopes to retire on a pension. It should also be required reading for any executives planning their business portfolio for the future. Published by the Financial Times, it shows...
The blog's 5th birthday
The blog today celebrates its fifth birthday. Its 1400 posts since the June 2007 launch have covered a wide range of subjects. And one thing is certainly true. There has never been a shortage of topics to cover. Readership has...
A Call to Action
We are about to set out on a great journey as the world transitions to the New Normal. The reason for the journey is that the world economy has changed irrevocably as a result of the financial crisis and the...
A road map for success
The new chapter of our free 'Boom, Gloom and the New Normal' ebook sets out a road map to success for companies in the New Normal. It also identifies 5 key areas where major change is already underway. Demand-driven. Markets...
US PE exports down 39% despite shale gas
Globalisation had a golden age between 1982-2007. Trade barriers fell almost everywhere. Companies focused on achieving a 'lowest cost' position, in order to maximise their competitive advantage. Today, however, the world is starting to look quite different. The chart above...
New policies needed to restore growth
Politicians seem to be floundering as they seek to restore growth to the Western economy. Their prescriptions swing between austerity and economic stimulus as they argue over what has gone wrong. But in chapter 10 of our Boom, Gloom &...
"Old age" becomes a major cost for UK taxpayers
Taxes, like death, are inevitable. But very few people have much idea of how their money is spent. Thus the blog applauds the UK government's decision this week to send every taxpayer a 'receipt' showing the key spending areas (chapter...
Housing debt challenges the American Dream
The US housing market collapse has wiped out $6tn in wealth since it began in 2006. But even today, little is being done to solve the critical issue - that homeowners took on too much debt, which will never be...
The changing landscape for manufacturers
The New Normal involves three major transformations in the nature of consumer markets: • The increasing size of the New Old 55+ age group in the West • Too many young people struggling with higher unemployment • Large number of...
US housing discovers New Normal opportunities
The US housing market was the original cause of the current financial crisis. It has gone quiet recently, but this does not mean that the problems are resolved. Quite the opposite, in fact. True, foreclosures have slowed recently, due to...
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