Steel Output Mounting The Steel industry, which consists of companies engaged in the extraction of iron ore and coke coal for the processing of iron and steel, has the major chunk of sales concentrated with a few producers. The industry includes metal ore exploration and mining services, iron and steel foundries for smelting, rolling, forging, spinning, recycling, stamping, polishing and plating of iron and steel products such as pipes, tubes, wire, spring, rolls and bars. The largest drivers of steel consumption have historically been the automotive and construction markets, which make up more than 50% of total steel consumption. Other steel consuming industries include appliances, converters, containers, tin, energy, electrical equipment, agricultural, domestic and commercial equipment and industrial machinery. Large automakers such as General Motors, Ford Motor Company ([url=http://www.zacks.com/stock/quote/f]F[/url]), Toyota Motor Corporation ([url=http://www.zacks.com/stock/quote/tm]TM[/url]) and Honda Motor Company ([url=http://www.zacks.com/stock/quote/hmc]HMC[/url]) depend upon the steel industry. ArcelorMittal ([url=http://www.zacks.com/stock/quote/mt]MT[/url]) is ...

I am traveling in Europe - Switzerland and Slovenia - at the moment, exploring business opportunities and gathering a feel for the economic climate in Western and Central Europe. (I also have a more official relationship with Slovenia as I represent this picture-pretty country diplomatically in South Africa - as Honorary Consul. Click here for the Consulate website and some amazing photographs.)

The downside is that blog posting will be slow (and totally absent on some days) for most of the time while I am on the road. The normal blogging service will be resumed on my return to Cape Town on October 16.

However, I will be “tweeting” regularly throughout my trip, posting short comments (maximum 140 characters) on topical market issues, and also on my personal whereabouts. You can “follow me” on Twitter by clicking here. You may also consider joining me

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AGCO Corp. (AGCO) recently updated its outlook for 2009. The company now expects net sales to decline by 23% to 25% on a year-over-year basis. During its second quarter conference call, AGCO had provided a guidance of $6.5–$6.8 billion, which represented a drop of 20% to 23% from prior-year revenue of $8.4 billion.

The company reduced its sales guidance due to lower-than-expected demand during the third quarter in its European operations, primarily in Germany, France and the United Kingdom. AGCO is now aggressively cutting production in order to reduce its own and dealer’s inventories.

The company now sees full-year earnings of $1.30 to $1.50 per share. AGCO expects lower sales and operating income in its Europe/Africa/Middle East region due to softening market conditions, reduced order in-take, continuing efforts to reduce dealer inventories and lower-than-anticipated margins.

The company anticipates weak industry demand in Europe due to lower income across

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I have just returned from a very successful visit to Slovenia - a country of only about 20 273 km² and 2 million people located in the heart of central Europe. I will share some thoughts about this hidden “jewel” of Europe in a few days’ time, but suffice to say for the moment that this was one of my most successful overseas trips ever.

My normal Sunday “Words from the Wise” review will be back next week, but in the meantime I have put together a few posts I thought may be of interest to readers.

Did you enjoy this post? If so, click here to subscribe to updates to Investment Postcards from Cape Town by e-mail.

I am traveling in Slovenia at the moment, leading a group of South African business people on a fact-finding mission of this jewel of central Europe. The visit has so far exceeded all our expectations, but more about that at a later stage.

Blog posting will be absent for most of the time while I am on the road and “Words from the Wise” will also take a break next Sunday (September 13). The normal blogging service will be resumed on my return to Cape Town on September 14.

However, I will be “tweeting” regularly throughout my trip. A Twitter feed has been added to the sidebar of Investment Postcards where I post short comments (maximum 140 characters) on topical market issues, and also on my personal whereabouts. You can also “follow me” direct on Twitter by clicking here

Did you enjoy

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I am traveling in Slovenia at the moment, leading a group of South African business people on a fact-finding mission of this jewel of central Europe.

Blog posting will be absent for most of the time while I am on the road and “Words from the Wise” will take a break for the next two Sundays (September 6 and 13). The normal blogging service will be resumed on my return to Cape Town on September 14.

However, I will be “tweeting” regularly throughout my trip. A Twitter feed has been added to the sidebar of Investment Postcards where I post short comments (maximum 140 characters) on topical market issues, and also on my personal whereabouts. You can also “follow me” direct on Twitter by clicking here

Did you enjoy this post? If so, click here to subscribe to updates to Investment Postcards

...

I will be traveling to Slovenia tomorrow as I am taking a group of South African business people on a fact-finding mission to this jewel of central Europe.

Blog posting will be absent for most of the time while I am on the road and “Words from the Wise” will take a break for the next two Sundays (September 6 and 13). The normal blogging service will be resumed on my return to Cape Town on September 14.

However, I will be “tweeting” regularly throughout my trip. A Twitter feed has been added to the sidebar of Investment Postcards where I post short comments (maximum 140 characters) on topical market issues, and also on my personal whereabouts. You can also “follow me” direct on Twitter by clicking here

Did you enjoy this post? If so, click here to subscribe to updates to

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Emerging Europe investing is staging a comeback. In the past couple of months, stock markets in the region have posted big rallies. The index for Lithuania has shot up 58 percent since June 30, while the indexes for its Baltic neighbors Estonia and Latvia have climbed 33 percent and 27 percent, respectively. In Central Europe, the key stock indexes for the Czech Republic and Hungary are both up 26 percent in the third quarter through Friday, and Polandrsquo;s index has gained 20 percent. All of these stock markets suffered mightily in the global credit crisis as their overheated economies stalled, their currencies dropped, and the cost of loans denominated in dollars and euros skyrocketed. Now it appears that intervention by the International Monetary Fund, combined with a growing belief that the worst of the financial woes and global recession are behind us, may have mitigated the regionrsquo;s risk profile and lured investors back. Not that ...

Emerging Europe investing is staging a comeback. In the past couple of months, stock markets in the region have posted big rallies. The index for Lithuania has shot up 58 percent since June 30, while the indexes for its Baltic neighbors Estonia and Latvia have climbed 33 percent and 27 percent, respectively. In Central Europe, the key stock indexes for the Czech Republic and Hungary are both up 26 percent in the third quarter through Friday, and Polandrsquo;s index has gained 20 percent. All of these stock markets suffered mightily in the global credit crisis as their overheated economies stalled, their currencies dropped, and the cost of loans denominated in dollars and euros skyrocketed. Now it appears that intervention by the International Monetary Fund, combined with a growing belief that the worst of the financial woes and global recession are behind us, may have mitigated the regionrsquo;s risk profile and lured investors back. Not that ...

Before I left for my summer break in Greece I asked, among other things, whether Hungary was trying to escape original sin or more specifically (and implicitly) whether Hungary is using the current relatively favorable market environment to claw back control over monetary policy. Recent comments from central bank Deputy Governor Ferenc Karvalits suggest that this may very well be the case (quote below from Bloomberg);

Investors see Hungary becoming “significantly” less risky, allowing for further reductions in interest rates, central bank Deputy Governor Ferenc Karvalits said. “Over the past few months, international risk appetite has improved significantly, the risk assessment of the region and Hungary has stabilized, and this allows for further easing of monetary conditions,” Karvalits said in an interview on Kossuth Radio today.

The Magyar Nemzeti Bank lowered its benchmark interest rate by half

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