Goodbye Pig Year, hello Rat!

Well, we see off the Year of the Pig with China still stuck in a deep freeze, world stock markets wobbling and Obama, Hilary and McCain still with much to play for. The coming year of the rat (or mouse if you're feeling squeamish) looks set to be a challenging one in some ways we haven't seen for a few years: global slowdown, rising inflation in Asia and continued wrenching technological change will all make business planning a handful in the industries we cover.

Let's worry about that next week. In the meantime, eat, relax and extend new year good wishes to your families.

Gong Xi Fa Cai! Kung Hei Fat Choy.

Blogging will probably be a bit light over the next few days.