Growth Mantra

What if...economic growth as a concept is overrated ?

The Western world economies are in impatient waiting for the new economic cycle to start. Growth will save them, conventional wisdom goes. Economic growth.

Plus 2 %. Plus 4 %. And every other year more and more. Again and again. Growth and profit.

Is this expectation realistic ? Is this expectation really needed ?

That's what I started asking my self after hearing BBC Business news. What if economies without growth ( or minimal growth ) is ''the new normal'' ?

How this relates to something some economists call sustainable economies ?
I don't have an answer yet, but try to look for that trend.

It is very interesting to see how Britain forms and supports so called Local Enterprise Partnerships

“The knowledge and expertise of the private sector, local authorities and their local communities will be crucial as we work to create a better environment for business and ensure that everyone has access to the opportunities that growth brings.”

WEB TREND MAP

Information architects did it again. Version 4.


TOKYO- This is perhaps one of the most concise and best structured summaries of the 2009 technology world. New version of the Web Trend Map.

A yearly publication mapping 333 web domains, and 111 influential people on a Tokyo Metro map. Read more or download it here

Each “line” on the map is a different category: Application, Publishing, Opinion, News, etc. The map is certainly overwhelming, but pretty fun to explore. You can even send IA an email now to reserve your copy of the printed poster.

Heights represent success in traffic and branding. Subway lines are colored by area of interest. For example, take the orange line to find the creatives. Notice that there are several colors passing through Apple.

What does the current economic crisis look like ?

The shop is closed.

Last week, Slate launched "Shoot the Recession," a project in which they asked readers what the economic crisis looks like to them. The response on the photo-sharing site Flickr, where they set up a group page to collect contributions, has been bullish. As of this writing, Flickr pool is home to more than 200 pictures.

Collapse and ruins

When you see the ruins, there will be market bottom. Buy a gun

It's the end of the World, after all...so they say. At least, some rules are changing but Tulip mania will come sooner or later again :))

In case you haven't read media lately and my last blog article, I have put up few follow-up links that describe the World and its current mindset/geist.
Let's repost these stories :

US retirement accounts have lost 2 trillion
So far and US only...

Iceland - the first souverign nation facing bankruptcy after global financial crisis
National state emergency

Pakistan's the second...after Iceland

Financial manager in LA killed his family
Money worries start to blow someone's mind and tragedy unfolds

Insolvency crisis among UK retailers in 2009 ?
Not aware about the troubles ahead, yet...

Hong Kong bank customers want their money back from banks
At any cost, riots looming...

Brazil and Argentina try trading without dollars
Greeenback not needed as before...

South Africa starts killer disease
Spreads like a plague

Stolen opium for those unhappy in the future
Happy pill for the masses

Russia's bull welcomes Cold War 2
Red Army marching...


Great Britain , de facto, makes agression against Iceland
Give us those geo-thermal wells or we will...

Funny ''flash'' Gordon acting King Arthur
Me, me, saving the World...

Sheriff's returning to the town
Too late, bankers got papers...

Bank robberry of the century

Hands up, this is robberry

Off topic again, but I have to save an article for the future . Absolutely right diagnosis set up by Nouriel Roubini about global crunch ( contagion ) just upon the World.

Roubini: Not bail-out, but crap

So, what do you think , how many years in jail will Wall Street guys get for this bank robberry ? How many trials will be there for this criminal and irresponsible behaviour ?
Nada.

Nobody in the media reports about the protests ( YouTube video ) going on in the lower Manhattan ( Wall St. ), not business as usual down there.

Roubini's main conclusion is this:

1. The plan is inefficient (ie, it doesn't discriminate between who ought to be saved or not, and in fact rewards those who created dud assets)

2. It runs counter to the best models of how to deal with this sort of problem

3. It does not punish current shareholders or management


Follow up articles to note:

US retirement accounts have lost 2 trillion
So far and US only...

Iceland - the first souverign nation facing bankruptcy after global financial crisis
National state emergency

Pakistan's the second...after Iceland

Financial manager in LA killed his family
Money worries start to blow someone's mind and tragedy unfolds

Insolvency crisis among UK retailers in 2009 ?
Not aware about the troubles ahead, yet...

Hong Kong bank customers want their money back from banks
At any cost, riots looming...

Brazil and Argentina try trading without dollars
Greeenback not needed as before...

South Africa starts killer disease
Spreads like a plague

Stolen opium for those unhappy in the future
Happy pill for the masses

Russia's bull welcomes Cold War 2

Red Army marching...

Low 3G capacity utilisation

Not dumb, but empty pipe

It’ll take a long time for the telecom ''pipes'' to be filled.
Short on incentives for a mass market.