Tampilkan postingan dengan label trade. Tampilkan semua postingan
Tampilkan postingan dengan label trade. Tampilkan semua postingan

Senin, 09 Mei 2011

Blaming Australian Business for Inaction is Futile

It is claimed by "specialists" that Australian business failed to plan for the high dollar. They carried on without cutting basic running costs. With over 60 per cent of businesses being involved in international trade this is deemed to be a "sin". The American Express FX International found less than 40 per cent did nothing.

The research body said it was surprised at this. It is hardly surprising in the real world where costs are kept as low as possible on a constant basis. How can a business have a program to tackle this problem when it is a daily matter of trading? Common sense would inform you that not much can be done. The market sets the price. The high dollar means firms get less profit when they receive payment in foreign currency. Running costs inside the international barrier in Australia continue to rise. Most international trade is done in US dollars and this has become very weak.

It isn't much good longing for days passed when the exchange rate was less than 50 US cent to the Aussie dollar. It is quite astonishing that the employment rate is so high when times are really tough for manufacturing and retail. Prices are being cut to the bone, apart from food which people must have. Saying firms should have locked themselves in with future exchange contracts is dwelling on something that is impossible to change. The dollar is high and it is too late. Not much can be done now. Australian industry will shake itself out with bankruptcies until survivors can benefit from a weaker dollar which appears to be a long way off.
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Business

Senin, 17 Januari 2011

Nothing Will Make Coles Sell Growth Enhanced Beef

Coles has chosen not to sell beef enhanced by Hormone Growth Promotants (HGP). For making this stand it has been condemned by Animal Health Alliance (AHA). Note that AHA is financed by pharmaceutical companies. Elanco and Pfizer are members of this organization.

Saying that Coles ignores scientifically based findings that HGP beef is safe is unscientific in itself. No number of tests will ever prove it to be safe because it hasn't been in use long enough to ascertain its dangers.

CSIRO has found HGP beef to be of poor eating quality, and as Coles makes a quality related buying decision is will not be purchased by them. This is a free country and producers "jumping up and down" will not make consumers buy their product.

HGPs make cattle grow faster so it should be cheaper. Unfortunately, this saving is not passed on to the buyer. Indeed, consumers will pay more for non-HGP beef.

Sales of HGP meat is declining and it won't be around for much longer. How can Coles action be a "blow to Australia's beef industry" if this is the case? HGP makes beef tough and that's the end of it.

Woolworths sells HGP beef and consumers know it. Coles is getting a reputation for very tender beef and in the long run Woolworths will lose out. Woolworths fresh it may be but it is too tough to eat!
~~~~~Food Retail~~~~~
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Jumat, 24 Desember 2010

The Days of the US Dollar as World Currency Are Numbered

With the US printing paper dollars by the truckload the American currency cannot remain the world's gold standard. Can something akin to gold be created to act as the measure of value for world trade? China's call for a new stand alone currency for international trade will not work. The difficulties of the Euro has highlighted this. Putting the world's "strong" currencies in a pot with gold then calculating out a value for transactions is also problematical. Wouldn't this be a partial return to the gold standard?

The gold standard worked for a long time mainly because is was a scarce commodity and new finds of the mineral were increasing the gold "pot" at about the same rate as the world growth in trade. A new gold standard would probably not work now because there would be a rush to invest in gold companies which could flood the market.

This would not solve the problem of nations openly trying to weaken their currency to gain a market edge. Quantitative easy by the US is a case in point. The US Treasury bought up securities to increase the money supply. This could still be done with a gold standard.

As time passes people will lose confidence in the US dollar. This is inevitable as the US tries to pull the economy out of recession. China's dominance in low-cost labor industries will not last, but things will not improve for the US as cheap-labor industries move to other less-developed Asian countries. The US cannot turn the clock back. Like Britain, it has had its day in the industrial limelight.

The sun will truly set on US hegemony when the national deficit will finally have to be paid. Many countries beside the US will be in trouble then, particularly the ones issuing bonds in US dollars.
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