From the barter desk of Bob Meyer…02/05/2008

$41 Trillion To Be Spent On World’s Infrastructure


According to a report on CNBC’s financial TV channel, some $41 trillion will be spent on the world’s infrastructure (bridges, roads, tunnels, etc.) over the next 25 years. The commentary revealed that both Egypt and Russia have more infrastructure plans than India or China.

It was also noted that in Egypt labor costs are cheaper than China.

Kudos To Campbell’s Soups

Over the last decade Campbell’s Soup has worked to raise the awareness for the ongoing issue of hunger in America. They’ve made direct donations of more than 35 million cans of soup to food banks and various hunger charities.

What’s Ahead For U.S. Economy

By most accounts the American economy is about to enter the 12th recession since WWII. The last came in 2001 following the attacks on 9/11 and roughly eighteen months after the dot.com-fueled stock market reached its peak…before its rapid decline through the bubble bursting.

Consumers are feeling less and less bullish about the economy, as evidenced by their more judicious spending.

Globalization Moves Politics Into World Of Continents

From Washington to Warsaw, policy makers are now taking into account the views and actions of countries that, until recently, held little sway on the international scene. The rise of China, the renewed confidence of Russia and the growing economic muscle of countries including India and Brazil, are shifting the center of gravity within global politics.

In Europe, the growing influence of China and Russia has provided a new spur toward integration as European countries come to appreciate the importance of scale in a globalized world. Furthermore, Europe’s attempt to weld 27 disparate nations into one bloc is being imitated around the globe, from Asia to Africa, as countries experiment with new ways to maximize influence.

Global Assets Indicate New World Order Coming

A study by the McKinsey Global Institute shows that while $56.1 trillion, or more than one-third, of the world’s financial assets were held in the U.S. in 2006, the total held by emerging markets reached $23.6 trillion. And their assets are growing twice as fast as those in developed countries.

For those living in the developed world, there are clear benefits to this new world order. Capital from the emerging markets will cushion the blow of the current financial crisis on businesses and consumers. And continued growth in emerging countries will soften the effects of a possible recession elsewhere. Over time, the global economy is not a zero-sum game. Americans, Europeans, and Japanese can all prosper even as their share of the world economy declines.

Malaysian Government Seeks Self-Sufficiency Through Barter

Deputy Prime Minister Daruk Najib Razak has announced the establishment of the Malaysian National Price Council to create a national stockpile of commodities as a safeguard against the impact of rising prices.

Half of the nation’s human carbohydrate consumption comes from imported wheat, while all of the feed for the chicken, egg, and pork industries comes from imported corn. With producing countries banning exports of wheat and corn, there is an urgent need for Malaysia to abandon the normal monetary channels.

Instead they must resort to government-to-government barter trading to secure our imports of corn and wheat, without which the population of 27 million will face starvation. Malaysia can barter its palm oil with countries like India and China, in return for wheat and corn.

Bartering will allow Malaysia to undertake an immediate science program, rapidly increasing agricultural production with 21st century technology.

New Global Listing Information
BizEX Trade Network
Craddock Place, 10 Arnold Road
Rosebank
Johannesburg, Gauteng 2121
South Africa
Ph: 271 1880 5202
Fax: 271 1880 4629
www.bizex.co.za

The column, “From the Desk of Bob Meyer” is the first section of the Tuesday Barter Report,” to read the entire Report see: Tuesday

This entry was posted on Tuesday, February 5th, 2008 at 9:55 am and is filed under From the Desk of Bob Meyer. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.