In today’s world, we often talk and think about an economic shift. But what does that really mean?
It mainly means that the economic power is passing from western countries to eastern countries. Managers have started to invest in countries like China and India. Investors are moving their central offices to countries in the East. The economic momentum lies in the hands of developing countries now. While the financial crisis raised questions regarding the general power of the USA and the EU, eastern countries have continuously developed.
The misery index is an economic indicator that is calculated by adding the inflation rate to the unemployment rate. The rationale behind this calculus is that a higher rate of unemployment and a worsening of inflation mean economic and social costs for a country and imply a deterioration in economic performance.
An economic forecast refers to making prediction about the economy and identifying increasing, stagnant or declining trends. Economic forecasts are provided by international organizations like the International Monetary Fund (IMF) or the World Bank, but also by national governments and financial institutions. Forecasting is based on series of KPIs like $ Gross Domestic Product (GDP), % Inflation, % Unemployment or $ Fiscal deficit.
The Economist analyzed in a recent article which economies have fared best and worst during the global financial crisis. The article highlights that the real GDP is no longer the best measure for comparing output, because of demographic changes. Canada, like the United States, has a fast-growing population, whereas the number of Germans and Japanese has started to shrink (The Economist, 2011). The Economist considers the Real GDP per head to be a better measure in order to offer an accurate comparison among worldwide economies’ performance.
A simple search on Google about China’s Economy will return you with a staggering number of articles compiling a great amount of information about China’s economical performance. Indeed, with its economy growing at a rate of 9% a year and a valuation of its economy at $1.33 trillion in the second quarter of 2010, it is not hard to fathom why businesses are frantically seeking opportunities to expand and tap into this enormous market that is still growing at a ridiculous rate (Phang & Thomas, 2010).
