by Chris Kuehl, managing director, Armada Corporate Intelligence It has been more than a month, and the pundits from the various global think tanks have waited long enough for their opportunity to weigh in. The consensus view is that the Brexit has been a bad thing in the short term and likely in the medium term, but the long-term impact is much harder to estimate. The … [Read more...] about Now What? Does Brexit Mean What We Thought It Would?
Economy
Generating Excitement in a Boring Economy
by Robert Fry Robert Fry Economics LLC I have been writing a monthly newsletter on the economy for more than 21 years. For most of those years, I had no problem coming up with a topic each month. That has changed in the last few years. There are only so many ways to say "disappointingly slow," which is how I would characterize the US economy since mid-2010. I've tried to … [Read more...] about Generating Excitement in a Boring Economy
The Economy and Plastics Processors: Cultural Shift Remains Key to Survival
by Laurie Harbour, Harbour Results, Inc. It's been two years since the economy encountered one of the worst crashes in history. Where are plastics processors now? Many more than expected survived the crisis by going into hibernation and changing the way they worked and lived. In hibernation, processors were forced to use fewer resources. Necessities such as people, equipment, … [Read more...] about The Economy and Plastics Processors: Cultural Shift Remains Key to Survival
Economic Outlook and Trends
by Jeff Mengel, Plante & Moran 2008 began with resin cost increases of as much as 40 percent. Many processors sought price concessions from customers, even in industries that were loathe to adjusting purchase orders. Soon after the resin markets topped out in September, they fell to prices not seen since before Hurricane Katrina. The hope for those who hadn't received … [Read more...] about Economic Outlook and Trends