World Crisis Online

Dutch manufacturers are climbing out of the deepest recession of the post-war period. This will lead to more industrial production in 2010. However, growth will remain sluggish for some time as consumers and companies remain cautious.

Economy and industry emerge from recession
As a cyclical and highly export-oriented sector the manufacturing industry has suffered badly from the international recession. Industry sustained the largest increase in the number of bankruptcies and the greatest decline in the volume of production of all business sectors in 2009. A record number of industrial concerns went out of business in the first half of 2009. The global downturn has bottomed out however. Producers and consumers are less pessimistic and world trade is picking up again. A number of industrialised countries emerged from recession in the second quarter. After five quarters of contraction, the Dutch economy expanded again in the third quarter, albeit slightly. (continue reading…)

The Chinese economy will grow by more than 8 percent in 2010, despite lingering uncertainties in the global market, a leading Chinese economist predicted.

Fan Gang, director of the China National Economic Research Institute and a member of the money policy committee of the People’s Bank of China, is confident that the country can meet its GDP growth target of 8 percent this year and will keep the momentum of the economic recovery next year.

He attributed the strong economic growth to the government stimulus package, rising investment in property and industrial sectors as well as a growing trade surplus.

China’s 4-trillion-yuan ($585 billion) stimulus package, mainly on domestic investment and consumption, is shoring up the economy, with manufacturing showing more signs of recovery, according to the State Council, or Chinese cabinet .

“Investment in real estate so far this year has almost fallen to its lowest level for years,” Fan said, “yet money has started to flow into this sector and will increase quickly next year, making it a significant source of GDP growth.” (continue reading…)