The Guru speaks: Growth is coming

So now it seems the positive feelings that started growing in the dead of winter are finding a voice in the new McKinsey Global Survey (thanks Ryan!). Albeit the signs are very feint and couched in non-negative terms. (Most companies are not actively seeking new cash).

It seems that most people are over the media shock and awe of late last year and buttoning down to make their companies more efficient,,, and effective! The growth agenda is back on, will you get there first?

Gaming like movies?

Earlier I wrote about how cinema was experiencing a boom. It seems that at least one gaming company is also doing well. Take Two Interactive software has revised their forecasts for 2009 to go from a projected loss, to a projected profit. Their profits for 2010 are expected to grow by 140%. Beyond that they are also actively hiring. It seems like a combination of good content (for instance Grand Theft Auto) and smart leveraging of existing products (download versions of games) has lead to sales boosts. Seems the need for distraction is still strong!

Spring Blossoms

The German word for "blossom" is also the word for counterfeit money. This kind of made me wonder about the US bailout good news stories. It seems that quietly about $350Mill of TARP money has started flowing back. Similar to Germany, the tight restrictions were seen as a competitive hurdle. More interestingly though one executive was quoted as saying: "We really didn't need the money"


So if banks start seeing that they don't need the cash, the stock market has been climbing non-stop for 4 weeks and the Californian real estate market is showing signs of recovery, I can only say: Spring has sprung! But don't go picking any blossoms.

Hedgehogs and foxes

Famously thinkers can be divided into two groups, the hedgehogs and the foxes. Hedgehogs stick to what they know an build a prickly barrier to protect that view. It seems that the hedgehog strategy has also worked for Gerresheimer, an industrial company specialized in developing packaging and delivery systems for pharma companies. By focusing on highly technical products and a growth industry as a client base they have been able to deliver solid returns with a projected growth of 7% for 2009.
Next week we look for the succesful foxes, if they haven't been hunted by the leverage monster.