Unlike the US market our recent Wide Format Online survey on how local companies are viewing their prospects for 2009 shows an amazing positive attitude from our readers. This is in sharp contrast to the US where negative reports of closures, staff layoffs or cutting workforce hours seem to be the order of the day.
We have had only a few negative headlines here in our region relating to some financial problems with some big printers, but rather we did not highlight those in fact, rather we did not mention them at all for fear of spreading the doom and gloom.
Anybody listening to the news these days would agree that there are mixed views by leading economists on when our economic slow down will turn around. Some forecasting mid this year whilst others are predicting only next year. They all agree though that a turn around will come, just as it has done so many times before and with most downturns rebounding to stronger levels than before.
We can't help being realistic though and in that vein, it is hoped our survey which showed an overwhelming optimism accurately reflects the long term' positive vibes that have been prevalent in the wide format industry throughout the slowdown and not a 'short term' optimism which has the potential to turn negative if our economy gets worse before it gets better.
In a recent article published by leading print industry magazine Print 21, it was stated that even small print businesses are finding it tougher to get finance and one of the major reasons is that the number of equipment financiers has retracted substantially thus removing the competitiveness in this market for potential borrowers.
You will remember the positive attitude that was evident at last October's Sydney VIIE show where exhibitors were, in the main, ecstatic at the new investment that was taking place by wide format printers. Long may that continue.
We published in our Financial Section of Business Workshops the first of a series of commentaries by leading US market analyst, John Maudlin (see http://www.wideformatonline.com/index.php/200901151745/Financial/-Forecast-2009-Deflation-and-Recession.html ). Mr Maudlin is highly regarded by the international economic community. His newsletters relate to the US economy in the main.
He has given us the rights to republish his weekly bulletin but investors here may opt to subscribe to the service independantly, its free and all they require is your e-mail address. Consequently the newsletter has a huge following around the globe.
It mainly targets the private investor and the stock market. But as you know, your company's future and your investment decisions are largely dictated by the same criteria and sentiment that he talks about. His latest bulletins do not make for happy reading but then we should not be ostrichs either and bury our head in the sand.
