Specials - ITJ | Transport Journal

International Transport Journal 35-36 2013 Editorial5Dear readers,For many years now international capital has investedoccasionally gigantic sums of money in the so-called Bricstates – Brazil, Russia, India and China. Emerging marketsseemed to hold great promise from an economic point ofview. They offered high returns on investments, the promiseof new and virgin markets and seemingly unlimited prospectsfor growth – also for logistics enterprises. It seemed asif the future of many an undertaking was firmly chained tothe emerging economies, particularly when they were comparedto the frequently saturated industrialised countries ofEurope and North America. Read our Geodis Wilson interviewon this subject on pages 32-33.But in the meantime the wind seems to have changed.There would appear to be some rather large spanners inthe works of the growth engines in the Bric states, with thecapital invested there partially already moving on again, insearch of better returns. The Chinese economy is growingmore slowly than was hoped for, and exports are stagnant.India, too, is currently experiencing an economic downturn,and in Brazil the same scenario is looming, partly also becausethe prices paid for raw materials are in decline acrossthe world, which has a direct impact on the largest SouthAmerican economy. In Russia, too, GDP in the first fivemonths of 2013 grew by a «mere» 1.8% – substantially lessthan in the last three years, when the rateoscillated between the more satisfyingfigures of 3.4% and 4.5% (see page 23).The prices of shares traded on theemerging economies’ exchangesfell by the same amount in thefirst half of 2013 as they rose byin the second half of 2012.The bottom line is that theeconomic boom in the Bricstates is over – at least for thetime being.Robert AltermattHead of forwarding & logisticsST. CLAUDIA CELLA •GEPiazza Galeazzo Alessi, 2/916128 Genoa -ItalyPhone: +39 010 5991.1Fax: +39 010 5991 230E-Mail: ymi@finsea.itymibookingexp@finsea.itNAPOLI: Via Melisurgo, 480133 NapoliPhone +39 081 551 2529Fax +39 081 551 9786E-Mail yminap@finsea.itLIVORNO (OPERATION):Via Roma, 70 -57126 LivornoPhone +39 0586 266 411Fax +39 0586 266 456E-Mail ymileg@finsea.itLA SPEZIA (OPERATION):Via XXIV Maggio, 2619124 La SpeziaPhone +39 0187 021 161Fax +39 0187 021 170E-Mail ymilsp@finsea.it