ReleaseWire

Following a year which BMI believes saw growth in all freight modes but one, 2012 will signal a slowdown, with moderate decrease in Hungary's freight volumes as the country is projected to dip back into recession.

BMI View: Over the recent years, India's commercial banks have substantially increased their exposure to the country's power sector. While it may be a prudent move given the long-term energy needs of the second most populous country in the world, we highlight that over the short term, banks with a particularly heavy exposure to the power sector will likely underperform given the various difficulties the entire sector is currently facing (such as the current shortage of coal). Over the past few years, we have witnessed a strong discernable trend in India's commercial banks - that of increasing exposure to the country's power sector. As seen from the accompanying chart, credit to the sector (as a percentage of total credit to industries) has skyrocketed to 17.0% as of December 2011, from a low of 10.5% in August 2008. While the growth of credit to the sector has slowed significantly since peaking in January 2010 (at 58.7% y-o-y), we note that it still remains considerably elevated, with the latest figure showing growth of 28.2% in December. The total amount of outstanding credit to the sector stood at INR3,154.4bn by the end of last year - approximately four times more than the amount in mid- 2007. To be sure, India's hunger for energy suggests to us that the banks' increasing exposure to the power sector should pay off over the long run. Indeed, our infrastructure team projects electricity generation to grow at an average annual rate of 6.7% over the next decade (2012-2021), a few percentage points higher than the 5.6% average growth rate achieved over the past ten years. Similarly, the team expects electricity India Commercial Banking Report Q2 2012 © Business Monitor International Ltd Page 32 consumption to increase at an average clip of 6.8% annually from 2012 to 2021, which again, represents a slight increase from the consumption growth recorded over the preceding decade. Harmful Over The Short Term Having said that, over the short term, we believe that rapid increase in exposure could play out negatively, given the difficulties that the power sector is currently facing. According to our infrastructure team, one of the key issues that continue to place pressure on the sector's margins is the shortage of coal, due primarily to lacklustre domestic production. Therefore, power companies have had to rely more on expensive imports to compensate for the domestic shortfall. Adding this to the relative inelasticity of electricity prices, it is unsurprising that production shortfalls and power project delays remain extensive. Furthermore, India's business environment continues to cause problems, with bureaucratic inefficiencies, policy uncertainty, and environmental concerns (in particular, the adverse public opinion towards nuclear power). As such, the risk of repayment delays and bad debts remain acute. Net income margins of Adani Power, Tata Power, and NTPC have already been falling. Exposure Spread Out We note th

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

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

First revolutionizing search, Google is evolving to become a force in Communications, Content, Commerce and Applications.

Mobile Barcodes are now appearing in various media including magazines, catalogs, website, outdoor signage and billboards, packaged goods, conference presentations, name tags, clothing, and more. With the increasing adoption of smartphones, and rapid advancements in their capabilities, Mobile Barcodes are becoming a powerful advertising vehicle. Unfortunately, far too few marketers recognize its true potential.

BMI View: Despite general dry weather conditions in Europe, Italy's grains production should rebound slightly in 2012/13. This will make the country less dependent on imports, especially thanks to high stocks and moderating consumption on the back of a bleak economic outlook. For dairy and livestock, farmers' margins are still being squeezed, especially as subdued growth in consumers' income discourage consumption of value added or more costly products like cheese and beef. However, the country still has tremendous export opportunities.

BMI's Q312 Iran Metals Report examines the impact international sanctions are having on short-term domestic market trends as well as long-term investment outcomes.

We forecast Namibia's mining industry to grow by 18.4% in 2012 in real terms, following an estimated 25.4% increase in 2011. We forecast the value of the mining sector to grow to US$2.6bn in 2012. Growth is expected to reach 18.3% y-o-y in 2013, on the back of a surge in new uranium mining projects. Namibia's real mining growth over 2012-2016 is projected to average 13.9% a year, with the industry reaching a value of US$4.2bn in 2016.

The Russia petrochemicals report examines the enormous long-term potential of the country's domestic petrochemicals industry, but warns that unless production from gas fields rises significantly over the next 10 years, the government will fail in its target of trebling ethylene capacity by 2030. This report also examines the way in which Russian petrochemicals producers are diversifying and building capacity to compete in a global market, while at the same time supplying a growing industrial base, particularly in the domestic automotive and construction sectors. BMI analyses the growth and risk management strategies being employed by the leading players in sector, as they seek to raise their share of the Russian market.

We continue to see Singapore entering technical recession as the economy contracts in Q112, and see continued weakness in H212. This will result in full-year real GDP growth of just 2.6%, versus consensus expectations of 3.6%. With overall exports amounting to well over 200% of GDP, a slump in global trade and financial services will obviously take its toll on growth. This will take an equal effect on the country's freight transport sector. Singapore's pre-eminence as a transhipment hub leaves it particularly susceptible to global headwinds. Although the Port of Singapore had positive news in that its first-quarter throughput matched that of Shanghai, we maintain our view that growth will remain sedate through the year.

Eco-friendly cars are becoming a popular choice in this era, as they do not harm the environment as much as regular cars. By making the choice to switch to eco-friendly cars, drivers can help reduce CO2 admissions by as much as 75 percent.

The last day of July is among us this summer of 2012 and companies nationwide are preparing for the usual increase in business in August. One of them is the American Machine Shops Network which announced today its now offering sheet metal parts and fabricated components from Indiana-based manufacturers and CNC machine shops at http://mfgpartners.net/cnc-machine-shop According to AMSN the shops serve Indianapolis, Fort Wayne, Evansville, Hammond, Bloomington, Muncie, South Bend, Gary, Anderson, Terre Haute, and other cities in the great state of Indiana.

The tourists destroyed England in the first Test as an inspired bowling display from Dale Steyn swept South Africa to an innings and a 12 run win at The Kia Oval. That was after Hashim Amla smashed a brilliant 311 not out – becoming the first South African to score a Test triple century.

Many people across the UK are talking about PPI claims and some of the amazing payouts that certain individuals are receiving. Banks have had record fines because of the mis-selling of payment protection insurance to borrowers, in some cases the borrower was not aware they had been sold a policy.

Starbucks have hit the headlines recently with the launch of their new green coffee bean extract drink. Called “Starbucks Refresher”, the new drink mixes green coffee extract with light fruit flavors. The drink is growing in popularity, and people are becoming intrigued about the effects and health benefits of green coffee extract.

CredLoans.com, a lending network company, has recently grown its lender database to 200 lenders. This new larger number of lenders will help clients get higher approval rates, lower APRs, and improved service.

Pincus Elevator Company, renowned in Philadelphia for its great service, has started a new modernization program for their valuable clients. The new modernization program can be utilized by cutting costs of having elevators replaced multiple times. Pincus has been working with the best building owners, developers, property management teams and general contractors in order to provide the correct repair services needed.

As anyone who lives in the Phoenix metropolitan area knows quite well, the spiders that home and business owners often contend with are not small, harmless arachnids.

In the early 1990s, the pink ribbon began to be used as a symbol for people who are fighting breast cancer. Since then, millions of men and women have purchased items that are adorned with the colorful pastel ribbon. Everything from clothing and coffee mugs to jewelry and dog leashes can be found sporting the popular pink symbol.

Basement waterproofing is of high importance because the basement structure is built at ground level or below ground level. Waterproofing and drainage applications are also needed in situations where ground water is likely to build up in the soil and raise the water table. The higher water table eventually forces water in through cracks in foundation walls, through openings caused by expansion and contraction of the footing-foundation wall joint and up through floor cracks, thus resulting in wet basements. The best shield against a wet basement is basement waterproofing.

Reserve, one of the most renowned steakhouses in Old City PA, is currently offering a Burger and Beer special every Wednesday. The event starts at 5 pm and continues all night. Customers can get any burger at $12 and one beer of their choice. Adorned with soft colors featuring a blend of contemporary chic with classic elegance, Reserve is the perfect setting for anyone’s next corporate event or private party event in Philadelphia. Reserve is simply the best option to choose when it comes to finding a party venue in Philadelphia.

The hypnotherapist, Brenda McEachern has Lost 40 lbs with Hypnosis only. She can help You to reach your goal of losing weight in a healthy way, by using the Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT) combined with hypnosis.

Mahjong is one of the most popular board games played in the Far East. Originating in China, the game is popular all over the orient, with regional variations often played in Korea and Japan. For many years it has been perceived as being a game for elderly gentlemen, but Mahjong is experiencing a renaissance due to Internet play, both in China and abroad.

With the sky-high costs of tuition still rising, many students must look for scholarships in order to be able to go to college. There are a lot of scholarships out there, many of which students never find out about because they do not know where to look. They may never hear about certain unique scholarships — like those for left-handed students — even though these scholarships can be used to dramatically decrease the cost of going to college.