It is hard to believe that the blog has now been running for 9 years. Over 2000 posts have been published, and its readership continues to expand across the world, with the Top 15 countries currently including:
USA, UK, Germany, India, Netherlands, Canada, Singapore, Australia, France, Spain, Italy, S Korea, China, Japan and Taiwan
Readers also remain very loyal, with most visiting every week and very often clicking through to one of the links.
Anniversaries are a time to look back. Each year, I am amazed by the range of topics that need to be covered:
- Financial market developments are very often in the news. The first post in 2007 marked the 10th Anniversary of the Asian financial crisis, and since then there has been a long list of issues – starting with the Global Financial Crisis in 2008 and including Brexit today
- Country-specific developments are also important, not only in Emerging Markets such as China, India, SE Asia and Latin America, but also in developed economies such as the US, Europe and Japan
- Consumer markets have also been constantly evolving. It is easy to forget how much change there has been in areas such as autos, housing and electronics/smartphones over the period
- In addition, of course, I focus on developments in the chemical industry itself. It is the best real-time indicator for the global economy, and vitally important for all who work or invest in it
I am always very grateful for reader’s comments on the blog, and on their ideas for posts. Please don’t hesitate to contact me at phodges@iec.eu.com.
Many thanks for your support.