Understanding Purchasing Managers' Index

1. One of the most reliable leading indicators for assessing the state of the  economy is the PMI, formerly known as the Purchasing Managers' Index.

2. Members receive a monthly questionnaire that asks them to identify month-over-month changes for the following ten business activities that also constitute individual indexes in the Report on Business survey。

3. The most common answers include:

-Improvement
-No change
-Deterioration

Consolidation in the Solar Energy Industry

1. One of the biggest electricity infrastructure suppliers in the world is throwing up its hands and giving up on solar energy. ABB is unloading the solar inverter business, formerly known as Power-One, that it acquired in 2013 for $1.03 billion, which included $266 million in acquired cash. 

2. The company isn't just taking a loss on the deal, it's reportedly paying Fimer $470 million to take the business off its hands.

Pengerang refinery to start commercial operations in 4th quarter

1. The Refinery and Petrochemical Integrated Development (RAPID) project in Pengerang, Johor, will be fully operational in the fourth quarter of this year (Q419).

2. The US$16 billion (RM66.76 billion) project between Petronas and Saudi Aramco will see 300,000 barrels produced per day, turning Malaysia into a net exporter of refined fuels for the first time since 2008

3. The facility will produce refined products including gasoline and diesel that meet Euro 5 fuel specifications and provide feedstock for the integrated petrochemicals complex with a capacity of 3.3 million metric tonnes per year.

4. in 2009, 42.3% of government revenue came from petroleum sources.But in 2019, only an estimated 19.5% of total revenue came from petroluem sources, not counting the special divided from Petronas used to finance GST and income tax refunds.

Japan's Model for Economic Revival

1. Starting in the early 1990s, Japan was in an extended economic slump. It first endured a prolonged period of bad debt and deflation. Then it began to face a range of serious structural problems including poor productivity, low birth rates, and an aging population—all of which led to demographic challenges such as labor shortages and a loss of confidence in the future. Over the past several years, however, Japan has embarked on its longest period of sustained economic expansion in the post-World War II era.