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Asian Chemical Connections

China And The Fed: Still Back To Front

By John Richardson THEY are still getting it the wrong way round.  Both the Financial Times and The Economist, have said over the last few days that weaker prospects for emerging markets are mainly the result of Fed tapering. We continue to think that this might be partly because of the great “unknown, unknown” that […]

Getting China And The Fed The Wrong Way Round

By John Richardson MOST newspapers and wire services still seem to have got it in the wrong way round. Last week, as Argentina’s Peso crisis began, they continued to identify Fed tapering as the number one threat to emerging markets followed by China. But here’s a reminder: The Fed has spent some $3 trillion on […]

Thailand: Papering Over the Cracks May Be Harder

By John Richardson THE longer that the political crisis in Thailand drags on, the more we worry that economic growth will be badly affected. Tourism, for example, is around 10% of the country’s GDP and the Tourism Authority of Thailand estimates that hotel occupancy rates in Bangkok are down to just 30-40%. Nearly $4 billion […]

Guaranteeing The “Trickle Down” Effect

By John Richardson THE average-paid worker in a US company has to work for more than a month to earn what her or his CEO will earn in just one hour, according to this video from Adam Mordecai – the social and political commentator. And in 2012, the richest 1% of the population took home […]

The FOMC Decision And Tackling Leprosy

                    Ben Bernanke   Please note that before reading what follows: We do not want to be seen as belittling or ignoring the enormous efforts of those chemicals companies individuals, including those in India, who already contributing to long-term, sustainable growth.  We recognise their tremendous contribution […]

Selling To The Base Of The Pyramid

By John Richardson As the slide above slows, some four billion of the world’s population earn very low incomes indeed. It would be tempting to give up trying to sell to these people, as, from a Western chemicals and polymers producers perspective, the effort might not seem worth the meagre returns. But as this fascinating […]

Becoming A Chef In Indonesia

An Italian restaurant in Jakarta   By John Richardson ELEVEN-year-old Nurafidah spends her mornings at school and her afternoons hunting for recyclable plastic, aluminium and glass in Jakarta’s giant rubbish dump – Bantar Gebang. She wants to grow up to be a chef. “She is not alone. Many children of the dump are sure they […]

Ten Solutions For The Global Economy

By John Richardson LAST week we highlighted how a Boston Consulting Group study has reached many of the same conclusions as our e-book, Boom, Gloom & The New Normal, on the fault lines in the global economy. Similarly, many of the ten solutions suggested in the study are in line with what we think needs […]

Planning For New Growth Patterns

By John Richardson “Have you noticed that your parents spend less money than you do?” asks Merryn Somerset Webb in this Financial Times article. She agrees with us that the answer is, of course, “Yes”. This very neatly brings the issue down to a personal level, one that all of us can relate to, and […]

If You Build It They May Not Come

By John Richardson “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 Asian-based executive with a global polyethylene (PE) producer highlights the risks faced by the global industry as we transition to the New Normal. The executive […]

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