the drums are beating, page-4

from that article ...this for me; says it all/............cheers Jam

For the last few years, all anyone has talked about is China. From a non-factor to the world's largest producer and consumer of just about everything in less than a decade, what has happened in China in recent years, could only be described as phenomenal. With a population nearly four times that of the U.S., this country's economy could stop growing at the same unbelievable rate it has for the last few years, and still remain a major driving factor. And no one in their right mind is forecasting a serious slowdown. But putting aside what has, and is happening in China, there are many areas that are experiencing unprecedented growth. Anyone interested in construction can't help but look at what is happening in Dubai and not marvel. The collapse of the Communist block threw Russia into upheaval, but this country now forecasts it will have the world's fifth largest GDP within a decade. And while there are similar success stories on nearly ever continent, we return back to Asia, to China's western neighbor. India, with a population greater than China, is an economy primed to fire. We doubt we will witness growth at the rate we have seen in China, primarily due to geo-political reasons. India's government does not have the luxury of Communist rule, which means plans are dependent on the whims of the world's largest democracy in an extremely fragmented society. But India is a sleeping giant, who may be wakening.
So, with all that said, where do we think stainless prices are heading? We don't really see many reasons for prices to noticeably fall anytime soon, unless LME inventories grow a lot higher, and investors run scared. At the best, we may experience a period of stability, while more likely, prices could be heading up by the first quarter of 2008.
Did you ever notice when you offer a penny for someone's thoughts, they feel obliged to give you their two cents worth? Opinions - you always get more than you wanted. We also remind our readers, that free advise is usually worth what you pay. "