SBWire

Thanks to the fact that during the economic crisis many Serbian consumers shifted to cheap types of oils and fats, eschewing more expensive products rather than reducing consumption meant that volume sales remained strong, even during the worst years of the economic crisis. Even during 2009 and 2010, the two years when the majority of packaged food categories in Serbia were faced with volume declines, oils and fats managed to avoid slipping into negative growth as Serbian consumers merely...

Value sales of vending in Japan declined by 3% in 2012. Although the number of vending machines in Japan has been continuously declining over the review period, Japan is still ranked the number one country in the world with the highest number of vending machines. Japan's vending sales in 2012 were more than eight times those of the US and 14 times more than those of Germany. In Japan, consumers purchase various products through vending machines as the wide variety of options is very convenient...

Tampons continued to evidence a downward trend in 2012, decreasing in both category current value and retail volume by 2% and 3% respectively. This decline is consistent with the performance of tampons over the review period, as consumers are demonstrating a preference for sanitary towels and pantyliners, depending on the requirements of the menstrual flow. Tampons represented 28% of retail volume within sanitary protection (excluding intimate wipes) in 2012, down from 31% at the beginning of...

The number of internet users in Argentina continues to increase at a rapid pace, with those consumers in the 15-24 age group accounting for 33% of the country's internet users, according to a study by ComScore. For example, Argentina ranks 12th worldwide in Facebook users with more than 18 million registered users, a 68% penetration rate of internet users (44% of total population). As the members of this age group tend to have a very thorough knowledge and understanding of the internet and are...

2012 performance of sanitary protection in Bosnia-Herzegovina was an improvement relative to the review period average, in both volume and value terms. Volumes continued growing in spite of unit price increase, driven by growing demand for relatively novel formats, i.e. pantyliners.

Hot drinks in Ukraine experienced low volume growth in 2012. The economic situation in the country has still not improved. Ukrainian lifestyles are, however, changing, and this has led to new types of hot drinks, such as fresh ground coffee pods and other teas, which are growing fast. Consumers are willing to try new types of products and follow the trend towards Westernisation, especially in urban areas. In rural areas, less expensive types of black tea and plant-based other hot drinks, such...

Whilst price sensitivity to commoditised home care products remained, Japanese consumers were increasingly embracing products with value-added properties such as the improved scent features in air care, the antibacterial features in laundry care and the increased convenience in home insecticides. These factors led to an overall increase in retail value sales for home care products in 2012.

Shampoo & Conditioners in Malaysia by Mintel Global Market Navigator provides you with annual year-end market size data, most recently updated in 2012. This market covers shampoos and hair conditioners for men, women and includes unisex products. Market value is based on sales through all retail channels including direct to consumer, but excludes the professional sector including hairdresser sales to the consumer. Market size for Shampoo & Conditioners in Malaysia is given in MYR with a minimum of five years' historical data. Market Forecast is provided for five years. Included with this snapshot is socio-economic data for Malaysia. Population, Consumer Price Index (CPI), Gross Domestic Product (GDP), Exchange Rates.

Cooking & Edible Oils in Australia by Mintel Global Market Navigator provides you with annual year-end market size data, most recently updated in 2012. This market covers all cooking and edible oils. Market size is based on retail and non-retail sales. Market size for Cooking & Edible Oils in Australia is given in AUD and tonne with a minimum of five years' historical data. Market Forecast is provided for five years. Included with this snapshot is socio-economic data for Australia. Population, Consumer Price Index (CPI), Gross Domestic Product (GDP), Exchange Rates.

Hair Styling Agents in Austria by Mintel Global Market Navigator provides you with annual year-end market size data, most recently updated in 2012. This market covers sprays, gels, cream, liquid, mousse and other hair styling agents. Market value is based on sales through all retail channels including direct to consumer, but excludes the professional sector including hairdresser sales to the consumer. Market size for Hair Styling Agents in Austria is given in EUR with a minimum of five years' historical data. Market Forecast is provided for five years. Included with this snapshot is socio-economic data for Austria. Population, Consumer Price Index (CPI), Gross Domestic Product (GDP), Exchange Rates.

Global Market Direct's pharmaceuticals report, "United Biomedical, Inc. - Product Pipeline Review - 2013" provides data on the United Biomedical, Inc.'s research and development focus. The report includes information on current developmental pipeline, complete with latest updates, and features on discontinued and dormant projects.

BMI View: Canada's construction sector will continue to post strong growth, with 4.1% year-on-year real growth in construction industry value anticipated in 2013. The housing market is anticipated to experience a slowdown; however, we see infrastructure and non-residential building picking up the slack. Industrial projects in the mining and hydrocarbons sectors, combined with those in social infrastructure, will support non-residential building, whilst new projects to support resource extraction and transportation will buoy infrastructure.

The mobile market has seen a number of significant developments in recent years that has increased competition and accelerated development of services in the country. Wireless data services are becoming more established, with operators extending investment outside their historical concession areas. Meanwhile, the introduction of mobile number portability will put downward pressure on prices and should result in an increase in total subscriptions. Meanwhile, in the wireline market there has been some consolidation, creating converged service players that should challenge the incumbents. There is also the prospect of the privatisation of some of the state holdings in the sector, with reported interest from major telecoms groups in the region. These developments are ushering in a brighter era for the market, which in 2013 still remains a laggard in the region in terms of service penetration for mobile and broadband, with relatively high prices and little progress on VAS.

The accompanying tables present the latest economic data and five-year forecast scenario for the country's banking system. Also included is SWOT analysis of the commercial banking system as a whole.

Global Markets Direct's, 'Gastric Motility Disorder - Pipeline Review, H2 2013', provides an overview of the indication's therapeutic pipeline. This report provides information on the therapeutic development for Gastric Motility Disorder, complete with latest updates, and special features on late-stage and discontinued projects. It also reviews key players involved in the therapeutic development for Gastric Motility Disorder. Gastric Motility Disorder - Pipeline Review, Half Year is built using data and information sourced from Global Markets Direct's proprietary databases, Company/University websites, SEC filings, investor presentations and featured press releases from company/university sites and industry-specific third party sources, put together by Global Markets Direct's team.

Growth is slowing in the majority of Central American markets with occasional reports of subscriber discounting contributing to overall growth patterns. We see notably slower growth across the board with the exception of Nicaragua, which continues to offer potential. There is a growing trend for operators to focus on mobile content to provide market growth, rather than adding new subscribers. Mobile banking solutions are likely to be top of the list of potential new products, taking advantage of the strong remittance market in the region.

We hold a sanguine outlook for the Bangladesh agriculture sector. Coming from a low base, there is much more room for growth and improvement in sub sectors such as grains and livestock. Indeed, the growing presence of foreign players in the agriculture industry is a clear sign of the rewards to entry in sub sectors such as poultry production. That said, as the agriculture sector in Bangladesh employs close to 70% of the working population but contributes to only 20% of the country's GDP, there is a obvious need for improvement in efficiency of operations. The existence of small-scale farms - continue to hold back the sector from enjoying considerable productivity gains. For 2012/13, we expect modest gains in production of food grains and do not foresee any significant shortfalls in production in terms of meeting demand.

Global Market Direct's pharmaceuticals report, "Alexion Pharmaceuticals, Inc. - Product Pipeline Review - 2013" provides data on the Alexion Pharmaceuticals, Inc.'s research and development focus. The report includes information on current developmental pipeline, complete with latest updates, and features on discontinued and dormant projects.

The IT market is estimated to have reached a value of SGD3.631bn in 2012, and we forecast it will increase 5.2% in 2013. The growth rate in 2013 is expected to be higher than 2012 as the economic environment improves, including faster real GDP and private final consumption growth. Consumption growth atop already high per capita incomes underpins our view that vendors can achieve strong growth in the retail hardware market, particularly through tablet and hybrid device sales. We are also upbeat on Singapore's IT market over the medium term to 2017. Government IT spending will continue to be a major market driver through its iN2015 strategy. Enterprise growth will centre on business analytics software and solutions and cloud computing - both of which will benefit from the reach, affordability and quality of telecoms infrastructure.

GlobalData has released its new Country report, "PharmaPoint: HIV - Italy Drug Forecast and Market Analysis to 2022". Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV), the causative agent of AIDS, has claimed millions of lives since its emergence. However, the advent of antiretroviral therapy (ART) has transformed the face of HIV/AIDS from a deadly disease to a manageable chronic condition for most infected individuals. Antiretroviral treatment not only reduces the viral load and reconstitutes immune function, but also decreases infection incidence rates by limiting viral transmission. The treatment algorithm in HIV has characteristically involved multiple drug regimens designed to tackle the virus on different levels. In the recent past, simplified dosing regimens through the emergence of single tablet regimens (STRs) or fixed dose combination (FDC) therapies have become increasingly popular amongst physicians and patients alike by increasing clinical efficacy thresholds and enabling patient compliance.

Energy Drinks in Russia by Mintel Global Market Navigator provides you with annual year-end market size data, most recently updated in 2013. This market covers sugar-free and regular energy drinks and shots. Energy drinks are marketed with additives specifically designed to increase alertness. Market size comprises sales through all retail channels including direct to consumer including vending machines. Market value is calculated at prices in retailers. Market size for Energy Drinks in Russia is given in RUB and litre with a minimum of five years' historical data. Market Forecast is provided for five years. Included with this snapshot is socio-economic data for Russia. Population, Consumer Price Index (CPI), Gross Domestic Product (GDP), Exchange Rates.

Thailand will maintain its status as a key Asian agricultural provider in the coming years, as the sector benefits from strong export opportunities and government support as well as an efficient foodproducing industry. The sugar and livestock sectors are especially promising; however, the government's interference in the market, especially in the rice sector, will hinder the competitiveness of Thailand's production relative to its Asian rivals. Although rice farmers will directly gain from the rice guarantee buyback programme, we are uncertain about the long-term effectiveness of these policies in enhancing Thailand's food-producing efficiency and in boosting the country's export competitiveness. Thailand will remain a key rice exporter but may lose out to secondary exporters owing to growing instability in its trade policy.

Global Market Direct's pharmaceuticals report, "Enzon Pharmaceuticals, Inc. - Product Pipeline Review - 2013" provides data on the Enzon Pharmaceuticals, Inc.'s research and development focus. The report includes information on current developmental pipeline, complete with latest updates, and features on discontinued and dormant projects.

There are a number of technologies that may be deployed that all provide the ability for devices to "discover" one another, although over different distances ranging from centimeters (Near Field Communications), to meters (Bluetooth), to 10s of meters (Wi-Fi). They also all provide the ability for the devices to communicate directly with one another without a centralized network. Some of these use direct communication as their primary mode of communication e.g. NFC or RFID. Others are more traditional networks which provide direct communication ability as an adjunct to their primary network functions e.g. LTE-Direct or Wi-Fi Direct.

We retain our positive outlook for the South African consumer electronics market in 2013, with estimated growth of 11.4%. This will be driven by relatively strong private consumption growth, at 3.2% in 2013, increased spending on big ticket items such as PCs and notebooks, and the rising demand for smartphones on the back of rapid 3G and 4G network roll-out and declining data tariffs.