ReleaseWire Connect

HSBC is one of the largest financial institutions in the world with comprehensive retail and commercial banking services in every region. Originally established as a bank to facilitate commerce between the UK and China, the bank has been well positioned to benefit from the rapidly expanding Chinese economy. During the financial crisis the bank was able to avoid taking government funds to remain solvent but still required extensive cost-cutting measures in addition to divestments.

Russia is a country with an abundance of fresh water which is potable and can be used for drinking. In spite of the presence of large amounts of industrial waste in the country, the concentration of the residues of this waste in the drinking water remains very low due to the country's vast water resources. However, more often than not, Russian consumers are open to suggestions that the quality of the country's tap water does not correspond to expectations in terms of quality standards.

Herbal/traditional products continued to grow in value and volume terms during 2011. The growth was stimulated by the increased need for healthier products by consumers. Herbal products are deemed to have fewer side effects when contrasted with modern non-herbal products and hence they continue to grow each year.

Ukrainian men are quite conservative when it comes to their choice of clothes and thus prefer more casual outerwear than Ukrainian women. Formal wear is popular with men who work in offices, although men's suits maintain only a marginal presence in men's outwear in Ukraine. Clothes which are suitable for wearing on a variety of occasions remain the most popular items in men's outerwear in Ukraine and this became even more pronounced during the economic crisis as only the most necessary apparel...

The PET bottle is keeping a strong position in 2012, with significant volume gains in soft drinks, especially bottled water. This trend is especially obvious in developing economies, where there is a strong move from consumption of tap water towards bottled water. PET bottle sizing is seeing innovation in various product categories, bringing new opportunities for PET through offering convenient solutions for consumers. Sustainability is becoming more important both for consumers and manufacturer...

BMI View: A high level of investment will be required to maintain Russian oil output at close to recent record levels, putting pressure on the domestic industry and hindering global expansion .Gazprom faces similar challenges in developing sufficient gas to meet European and, possibly, growing Asian demand. Revisions to the Russian tax and regulatory system will be required if Russia is to meet its targets.

BMI View: A high level of investment will be required to maintain Russian oil output at close to recent record levels, putting pressure on the domestic industry and hindering global expansion .Gazprom faces similar challenges in developing sufficient gas to meet European and, possibly, growing Asian demand. Revisions to the Russian tax and regulatory system will be required if Russia is to meet its targets.

The Saudi Arabia Real Estate report examines the Commercial Office, Retail and Industrial segments throughout the Kingdom in the context of our bullish outlook for the economy and buoyant construction sector.

The Czech Republic Retail Report examines the long-term potential of the local consumer market, but flags short-term concerns about the impact on the country's economic outlook of high unemployment and ongoing fiscal austerity.

BMI View: We continue to see an easing in the contraction of South Korea's construction activity in Q411 - an indication that construction activity is truly picking up in the country, despite a slowdown in economic growth. We are forecasting a return to positive growth for South Korea's construction sector, with real growth of 3.5% anticipated for 2012. This is an upward revision on an earlier forecast of 3.2%, primarily due to the material investments we have seen taking place in South Korea's infrastructure sector.