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More people than ever with homes in distress are able to refinance under the HARP 2.0 program. This bodes well for homeowners looking to reduce their interest rates and lower their monthly mortgage payments.

There was growing price competition within footwear in the second half of the review period, with leading brands such as Aldo increasingly using sales and discounting to drive volume growth. Discounts also became more pronounced, with over 50% off the original price for some products. This strategy was in response to growing competition from economy imports during the review period. Price promotions were also used to help volume growth to recover following the decline seen in 2009 as a result...

Although there are campaigns for nursing mothers to strictly breast-feed their babies in the first six months, working class mothers cannot meet this requirement due to the demands on their jobs. As women are increasingly active in the labour force and maternity leave does not usually last up to six months, mothers returning to work will have no choice but to turn to baby food for their children. This factor has helped the growth of baby food, in line with higher incomes

Although it continues to be one of the most dynamic categories in the consumer appliances market, in 2011 small cooking appliances experienced some difficulties in overcoming the impact of the economic situation. The period 2009-2010 was marked by outstanding sales. Continued investment in healthy cooking products, such as deep fat fryers with minimal oil consumption, breadmakers and electric grills, was able to stimulate consumer demand in Portugal, even in a period of crisis. Coffee machines,...

The exponential increase in the costs of elementary inputs such as cotton and fuel caused apparel manufacturers - and in turn, retailers - to elevate unit prices even before additional duties were added by the union budget of 2011-2012. The new budget introduced a 10% excise duty on branded apparel in March 2011. These factors caused most retailers to raise unit prices, with certain economy brands being highly pressed in terms of profit margin. As such, the forecast period may see a decrease in...

This report is the result of Timetric's extensive market research covering the non life insurance industry in United Kingdom. It contains detailed historic and forecast data for investments. 'Non Life Insurance Investments in the UK to 2016: Market Databook' provides detailed insight into the operating environment of the non life insurance industry in United Kingdom. It is an essential tool for companies active across the United Kingdom non life insurance value chain and for new players considering entering the market.

Vending continued to decline in 2011, dragged down by the 8% value decrease of tobacco products vending. Tobacco products remained the largest category within vending, but registered an important decline in volume and value sales due to the new legislation regarding legal smoking age, limiting younger people to buy cigarettes.

Tea continues to increase in popularity in Norway, particularly options with perceived health benefits such as green tea, chai and rooibos. This is apparent from the relatively strong growth seen in categories such as fruit/herbal tea compared to that of black standard tea. Speciality variants are more dynamic, driven by novelty value and Norwegians' increasing interest in exotic products. Consumption in 2011 stood at just 0.4kg per person per year, according to national statistics, equating to...

The Battery Manufacturing industry comprises businesses that manufacture batteries and similar devices. A battery is an electrochemical device that provides a direct-current voltage source via chemical energy that can be converted into electrical energy. Key product segments include primary batteries and storage batteries.

Companies in this industry manufacture rail locomotives, carriages, train parts (such as wheels) and signalling equipment. Repair and maintenance of trains, train parts and tracks are not included in this industry.

Firms in this industry are involved in a wide range of forestry and logging activities. These include the growing of standing timber in natural and planted forests; forest timber nursery operations; the logging and production of timber for wood-based manufacturing industries; the gathering of wild-growing, non-wood products, such as mushrooms, truffles, berries and nuts; and, forestry support services, such as forestry inventories, management, consultancy, fire-fighting and pest control.

Firms in this industry operate high-voltage electric power transmission systems and control the transmission of electricity from generating plants to distribution centres or other electric utilities. The transmission system includes lines and transformer stations.

Though government regulations are increasingly discouraging smoking, the industry is heading into a growth phase, with exports on the rise. Higher cigarette consumption rates and fewer tobacco product regulations in major export markets such as China will drive demand. Furthermore, US prices of tobacco leaf will remain competitive, supporting growth in the industry. Farmers will look to new opportunities for demand, such as using tobacco for ethanol and biodiesel.

Vietnam's real GDP growth for 2011 and 2012 should continue to moderate in 2012 as a result of economic headwinds in the US , eurozone and China. We see increasing risks that the recent decline in manufacturing sector growth, which indicates weak demand for Vietnamese exports, could be sustained over the coming quarters, presenting significant downside risks to growth. T he State Bank of Vietnam's decision to hike its benchmark policy rate (refinancing rate) by 100bps from 14.00% to 15.00%, presents downside risks to an already weak economic growth outlook over the coming quarters. Consequently, we believe that monetary normalisation could come early in Q112 as the bank reverses its monetary policy stance in response to a faster-than-expected slowdown in economic activity over the coming months. I nflationary pressures are starting to wane, and this should help to ease fears that the Vietnamese dong will come under further selling pressure. A narrowing trade deficit, coupled with government efforts to de-dollarise the economy, are also helping to reinstall investor confidence in the currency. Thus, concerns over a potential devaluation in the currency are unwarranted, in our view. We are maintaining our forecast for the exchange rate to remain relatively stable at around VND 20,650/US $ over the coming months. Major Forecast Changes We have revised our end-2011 policy rate forecast from 14.00% to 15.00% to reflect the central bank's 100bps rate hike in October 2011. We expect 400bps worth of rate cuts in 2012 to bring the policy rate to 11.00% by the end of the year. We have downgraded our real GDP growth forecast from 6.3% to 6.0% for 2011 and we expect growth to remain subdued at 6.5% in 2012. Key Risks To Outlook Downside Growth Risks From Rising Commodity Prices: Should commodity prices continue to trend higher in 2012, we could see the central bank adopting a more hawkish stance on monetary policy. Delays in normalising interest rates would present significant downside risks to economic growth. Devaluation Risks From Persistent Trade Deficit: Despite multiple devaluations since late 2009, Vietnam's trade deficit has only witnessed a mild improvement. Should we fail to see compelling evidence of a sustained improvement in the trade balance, we would not be surprised to see the dong coming under further selling pressures.

We see modest growth across mineral commodities in the US over our forecast period as mining companies see larger growth opportunities in developing markets. The US contains large deposits of key mineral commodities such as coal, copper, gold, zinc and lead and we forecast the industry value to grow to US$83.8bn in 2012. We see the domestic mining sector growing at a slower pace than many developed market peers such as Canada and Australia, but believe there still exist promising opportunities for mine development in the US. With metals prices to stay elevated by historical standards, previously uneconomical deposits may become mineable again.

After registering total volume growth of 10% in 2010, RTD tea experienced a dip in 2011 as total volume sales fell by 9%. This drop in volume could be attributed to macroeconomic factors, including sluggish economic performance and higher inflation. Very weak consumer confidence, coupled with the increase in the prices of basic commodities and utilities, has left customers with lower disposable incomes. This has translated into less frequent purchases of RTD tea.

GlobalData's latest research "Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI) Market in Smart Grid for Electric Power, 2012 - Market Size, Vendor Landscape and Outlook to 2020" provides analysis of the market developments in the global market for AMI. AMI can be considered an advanced version of Automated Meter Reading (AMR). AMR has been used by utilities since the early 1990s, in order to remotely collect periodic readings of meters. The AMR systems are one-way systems that collect data on a monthly or daily basis and are not capable of sending control messages, unlike AMI systems. The report provides analysis on the global and regional markets for smart meters, meter data concentrators, AMI installation services and communication infrastructure, besides providing market trends for the meter data management and home area network market at the global level and by focusing on those countries that are considered as key markets for the market. The European countries of Italy and Sweden were the early adopters of AMI, followed by the US in North America. Asia-Pacific is considered to have significant future market potential in countries such as South Korea, Australia and Japan, which have major plans for the deployment of smart meters. The report provides a technical overview of smart meter, meter data management system, AMI communication infrastructure and home area network. The report also describes the key drivers and restraints affecting the AMI market besides assessing market shares of the key players in the global smart meter industry.

GlobalData's "High Voltage Switchgear for AC Transmission Systems - Global Market Size, Segmentation and Average Pricing Analysis to 2020", gives detailed information on the high voltage switchgear market.

GlobalData's report, Styrene-Butadiene Rubber (SBR) Industry Outlook in Italy to 2016 - Market Size, Company Share, Price Trends, Capacity Forecasts of All Active and Planned Plants provides an in-depth coverage of Italy SBR industry. The research presents major market trends affecting the SBR industry in Italy. The report covers Italy SBR plants and presents installed capacity by process and technology. In addition, it presents SBR demand and production forecasts, end use demand forecasts, price trends, trade balance data and company shares of the major SBR producers in Italy. Overall, the report presents a comprehensive coverage of Italy SBR industry including all the major parameters.

During the tough economic times, sticking to the budget is important for most Americans. Personal finance software provider, Halfpricesoft.com, released the new version of ezCheckPersonal check writer software. This check printing software will help users cut cost on checks and track the personal finance.

Judy Lindenberger "gets" leadership. She is a rare coach and trainer capable of coupling personal growth with professional development, which is why top companies and individuals invite her to work with them.

Mayekawa U.S.A., Inc. is pleased to announce a masterpiece. About 30 years ago, a food processing company in Japan requested: “Can anyone invent an automated deboning machine, instead of manual deboning of a whole chicken leg?” Development started! Mayekawa Japan Headquarters invented the first model 20 years ago. And now, Mayekawa is introducing the second model. The “Toridas Mark 2” has been totally enhanced. Mayekawa finally invented a fabulous machine.

A Step Above House Cleaning provides the best House Cleaners in Glenside PA that will clean thoroughly from top to bottom of the house. They will dust, clean, shine, polish all furniture, ceiling fans, light fixtures, window sills, chair rails, moldings, baseboards, door frames, picture frames, etc. This is a fast growing House Cleaning company in Glenside PA that can vacuum carpeted areas move items to clean beneath them and then replace them where they belong.

As more and more dominant retail grocery chains embrace the benefits of stocking natural cleaning products, demand for the natural market has never been higher. As this trend continues, Eco-Me today announces an exciting retail partnership with Safeway.

"Day of Forgiveness" is a New Age science fiction work, recently announced by Paul Anthony. The novel follows Tobias Sinclair, a former lawyer-turned-writer who is profoundly affected by an unpredictable series of events that suddenly transforms him from being an isolated observer of human history into a central participant of events that would ultimately lead to the New Age itself.