The International Monetary Fund should be praised for its proactive stance, calling on the major economies to prepare contingency plans in the face of a "highly vulnerable" economic climate.
The latest IMF report warns that a fragile global recovery has been weakened by financial market turbulence, falling oil prices and diminished growth prospects in China and other emerging markets. It calls on the world's 20 largest economies to keep pursuing growth strategies they have already unveiled, but to also develop additional measures that could be implemented quickly if growth keeps wilting.
Meanwhile, financial reporting from the major materials handling manufacturers continues to defy the odds, with plenty of growth and the prospects of more to come.