Ben 26 - 2013 in review

As we [1 ] usher in the N e w Year, it’s worth taking a moment to see how this year’s major business themes have [2 ]
played out. While [3 ] smatharing of growth and d ips in unemployment have brought relative stability to Europe and the
US , analysts at Nomura [4 ]foresee policy changes that may [5 ] reshape g lobal [6 ] prosperity in the long -term:
The next five years has to be about a [7 ] rebalancing towards the 'real economy' and the bottom 90 percent, at the expense
of the top 10 percent. This shift in policy emphasis will not be a happy time for financial markets and [8 ] speculators, but
in the long term it will be seen as a major positive event.
The standoff in Washington over federal spending and the debt limit led to a 16- day federal government
[9 ] shut down in October and brought the US close to a potential default. A last-minute deal put off the next [1 0 ] fiscal
fight until early next year, but as Econ - Matters explains, none of the options are appealing .
To avoid the recurring debt ceiling [1 1 ] show dawn, Washington has to address how to cut federal
[12 ] spending and /or increase revenues. Unfortunately, any federal revenue increase will involve some kind of tax
increase mostly to the middle - income class. And cutting the federal spending seems to be in the constant mode of one
step forward, two steps back.
[1 3 ] emerging markets, aside from China, posted subpar results in 2013, yet their join t input toward the global GDP is [1 4
] substantial . As Business Insider notes, by adding another group of countres to the mix an
Impressive picture begins to take shape:
The slowdown in the [1 5 ] BRIC economies is for real, but since the end of 2010, their combined GDP has still risen by
around $ 3.5 trillion; nearly [1 6 ] equivalent to Germany’s economy. Taking them collectively, they total more than $ 15
trillion, creeping closer to the size of the US economy. Throw in the MINTs and a couple of others and you get up to $20
trllion quite easily.
© 2 0 1 3 All righ ts reserved: w w w .bu sinessen g lish pod.[1 7 ]_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 2
With uncertainty always a [1 8 ] constan around global markets, technology and innovation continue to pave the way.
Research firm Canalys [1 9 ] predicts tablets to make up 50 % , or 285 million units, of the computer market next year,
jumping to nearly 400 million by 2017. Familiar faces will continue to be at the
[2 0 ] forefront, thanks in part to the user experience they’ve created though Google Play and the App Store.
Although Apple has lost its [2 1 ] dominance in the tablet market it practically invented, it nonetheless
Maintains the edge in profitability from the dev ices. Apple is one of the few companies making money from the tablet
boom. [2 2 ] premium products attract high value [2 3 ] consumers. And for Apple, remaining h ighly profitable and driving
revenue from its entire ecosystem is of greater importance than market [2 4 ] share. In an effort to [2 5 ] streamline its
services and device production, Micro soft snapped up struggling hand set maker Nokia who had been heading down a
rocky path in recent years. As Forbes magazine explains, it’s a
win - win for both parties:
Nokia has lost about 90% of its market share in the last 10 years and its mobile device business is now about to be
absorbed into Microsoft. Nokia is getting a second chance at life and instead of lurching toward
[2 6 ] bankruptcy an d running out of cash, it now gets the chance to reinv ent itse lf with a b ig fat [2 7 ] wallet
to build or buy whatever it wants.
Merging fashion with technology will continue in the year ahead as more day - to - day products are fitted with smart
technology . Though consumers remain wary of [2 8 ] wearable technology , a fu ture full of
smartphone - connec ted watches and fu tu ristic Google Glasses appears to be on the horizon . As technology expert Paul
Saffo tells ABC , Sam sung and Apple are [2 9 ] banking o n consumers hoping to stay ahead of the curve:
This is still the world of early adopters, and an early adopter is someone who pays too much money for somet ing that does
't quite work . It's a [3 0 ]safe bet that the Apple dev ice is going to be much more cool and
elegant and probably pretty close to a fashion [3 1 ] statement .
Form most, January 1st is a time to turnover a new leaf. Whatever happens in 2014 , the general
[3 2 ] consensus _ is that thin g s are certain y moving in a positive d irec tio n , m u c h different form prev ious years. As
Business Insider concludes, we may finally be out of the woods:
The euro - area is still a work in prog ress, China presents meaningfu l qu estion maks, Congre ssion al gridloc k in the US
could still throw sand in the federal fisc al wheels and [3 3 ] geopolitics can always surp rise. But, enoug h
æz wi [1 ] ˈʌʃər ɪn ði ɛn i ˈdʌbəlju jɪr, ɪts wɜrθ ˈteɪkɪŋ ə ˈmoʊmənt tu si haʊ ðɪs jɪrz ˈmeɪʤər ˈbɪznəs θimz hæv [2 ] pleɪdaʊt. waɪl 
[3 ] smatharing ʌv groʊθ ænd di ɪps ɪn ˌʌnɪmˈplɔɪmənt hæv brɔt ˈrɛlətɪv stəˈbɪlɪti tu ˈjʊrəp ænd ði ʌs , ˈænələsts ætnoʊˈmʊrə [4 ]
fɔrˈsi ˈpɑləsi ˈʧeɪnʤəz ðæt meɪ [5 ] riˈʃeɪp ʤi lobal [6 ] prɑˈspɛrəti ɪn ðə lɔŋ -tɜrm: 
ðə nɛkst faɪv jɪrz hæz tu bi əˈbaʊt eɪ [7 ] riˈbælənsɪŋ təˈwɔrdz ðə riəl ɪˈkɑnəmi ænd ðə ˈbɑtəm 90 pərˈsɛnt, æt ði ɪk
ˈspɛns ʌv ðətɑp 10 pərˈsɛnt. ðɪs ʃɪft ɪn ˈpɑləsi ˈɛmfəsəs wɪl nɑt bi ə ˈhæpi taɪm fɔr fəˈnænʃəl ˈmɑrkəts ænd [8 ] ˈspɛkjə
ˌleɪtərz, bʌt ɪn ðə lɔŋtɜrm ɪt wɪl bi sin æz ə ˈmeɪʤər ˈpɑzətɪv ɪˈvɛnt. 
ðə ˈstænˌdɔf ɪn ˈwɑʃɪŋtən ˈoʊvər ˈfɛdərəl ˈspɛndɪŋ ænd ðə dɛt ˈlɪmət lɛd tu eɪ 16- deɪ ˈfɛdərəl ˈgʌvərmənt 
[9 ] ʃʌt daʊn ɪn ɑkˈtoʊbər ænd brɔt ði ʌs kloʊs tu ə pəˈtɛnʃəl dɪˈfɔlt. ə læst-ˈmɪnət dil pʊt ɔf ðə nɛkst [1 0 ] ˈfɪskəl faɪt ən
ˈtɪl ˈɜrlinɛkst jɪr, bʌt æz ˈiˌkɑn - ˈmætərz ɪkˈspleɪnz, nʌn ʌv ði ˈɑpʃənz ɑr əˈpilɪŋ . 
tu əˈvɔɪd ðə rɪˈkɜrɪŋ dɛt ˈsilɪŋ [1 1 ] ʃoʊ dɔn, ˈwɑʃɪŋtən hæz tu ˈæˌdrɛs haʊ tu kʌt ˈfɛdərəl 
[12 ] ˈspɛndɪŋ ænd /ɔr ˈɪnˌkris ˈrɛvəˌnuz. ənˈfɔrʧənətli, ˈɛni ˈfɛdərəl ˈrɛvəˌnu ˈɪnˌkris wɪl ɪnˈvɑlv sʌm kaɪnd ʌv tæks ˈɪnˌkris
ˈmoʊstli tu ðə ˈmɪdəl - ˈɪnˌkʌm klæs. ænd ˈkʌtɪŋ ðə ˈfɛdərəl ˈspɛndɪŋ simz tu bi ɪn ðə ˈkɑnstənt moʊd ʌv wʌn stɛp ˈfɔrwərd, tustɛ
ps bæk. 
[1 3 ] ɪˈmɜrʤɪŋ ˈmɑrkəts, əˈsaɪd frʌm ˈʧaɪnə, ˈpoʊstɪd səbˈpɑr rɪˈzʌlts ɪn 2013, jɛt ðɛr ʤɔɪn ti ˈɪnˌpʊt təˈwɔrd ðə ˈgloʊbəlʤi-di-
pi ɪz [1 4 ] səbˈstænʧəl . æz ˈbɪznəs ɪnˈsaɪdər noʊts, baɪ ˈædɪŋ əˈnʌðər grup ʌv countres tu ðə mɪks æn 
ɪmˈprɛsɪv ˈpɪkʧər bɪˈgɪnz tu teɪk ʃeɪp: 
ðə ˈsloʊˌdaʊn ɪn ði [1 5 ] brɪk ɪˈkɑnəmiz ɪz fɔr riəl, bʌt sɪns ði ɛnd ʌv 2010, ðɛr kəmˈbaɪnd ʤi-di-pi hæz stɪl ˈrɪzən baɪ əˈraʊnd $
3.5 ˈtrɪljən; ˈnɪrli [1 6 ] ɪˈkwɪvələnt tu ˈʤɜrməniz ɪˈkɑnəmi. ˈteɪkɪŋ ðɛm kəˈlɛktɪvli, ðeɪ ˈtoʊtəl mɔr ðæn $ 15 ˈtrɪljən, ˈkripɪŋ
ˈkloʊsər tu ðə saɪz ʌv ði ʌs ɪˈkɑnəmi. θroʊ ɪn ðə mɪnts ænd ə ˈkʌpəl ʌv ˈʌðərz ænd ju gɛt ʌp tu $20 trllion kwaɪt ˈizəli. 
© 2 0 1 3 ɔl righ ˈtiˈɛs rɪˈzɜrvd: ˈdʌbəlju ˈdʌbəlju ˈdʌbəlju .bu sinessen ʤi lɪʃ pɑd.[1 7 ]_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 2 
wɪð ənˈsɜrtənti ˈɔlˌweɪz eɪ [1 8 ] constan əˈraʊnd ˈgloʊbəl ˈmɑrkəts, tɛkˈnɑləʤi ænd ˌɪnəˈveɪʃən kənˈtɪnju tu peɪv ðə weɪ. ri
ˈsɜrʧfɜrm Canalys [1 9 ] prɪˈdɪkts ˈtæbləts tu meɪk ʌp 50 % , ɔr 285 ˈmɪljən ˈjunəts, ʌv ðə kəm
ˈpjutər ˈmɑrkət nɛkst jɪr, ˈʤʌmpɪŋ tuˈnɪrli 400 ˈmɪljən baɪ 2017. fəˈmɪljər ˈfeɪsəz wɪl kənˈtɪnju tu bi æt ði 
[2 0 ] ˈfɔrˌfrʌnt, θæŋks ɪn pɑrt tu ðə ˈjuzər ɪkˈspɪriəns ðeɪv kriˈeɪtəd ðoʊ ˈgugəl pleɪ ænd ði æp stɔr. 
ˌɔlˈðoʊ ˈæpəl hæz lɔst ɪts [2 1 ] ˈdɑmənəns ɪn ðə ˈtæblət ˈmɑrkət ɪt ˈpræktəkli ɪnˈvɛntəd, ɪt ˌnʌnðəˈlɛs 
meɪnˈteɪnz ði ɛʤ ɪn ˌprɑfɪtəˈbɪlɪti frʌm ðə dɛv ˈaɪsəz. ˈæpəl ɪz wʌn ʌv ðə fju ˈkʌmpəniz ˈmeɪkɪŋ ˈmʌni frʌm ðə ˈtæblət bum. [2
2 ] ˈprimiəm ˈprɑdəkts əˈtrækt haɪ ˈvælju [2 3 ] kənˈsumərz. ænd fɔr ˈæpəl, rɪˈmeɪnɪŋ eɪʧ ighly ˈprɑfətəbəl ænd ˈdraɪvɪŋ ˈrɛvə
ˌnufrʌm ɪts ɪnˈtaɪər ˈikoʊˌsɪstəm ɪz ʌv ˈgreɪtər ɪmˈpɔrtəns ðæn ˈmɑrkət [2 4 ] ʃɛr. ɪn ən ˈɛfərt tu [2 5 ] ˈstrim
ˌlaɪn ɪts ˈsɜrvəsəz ænddɪˈvaɪs prəˈdʌkʃən, ˈmaɪˌkroʊ sɑft snæpt ʌp ˈstrʌgəlɪŋ hænd sɛt ˈmeɪkər ˈnoʊkiə hu hæd bɪn ˈhɛdɪŋ daʊn ə 
ˈrɑki pæθ ɪn ˈrisəntjɪrz. æz fɔrbz ˈmægəˌzin ɪkˈspleɪnz, ɪts eɪ 
wɪn - wɪn fɔr boʊθ ˈpɑrtiz: 
ˈnoʊkiə hæz lɔst əˈbaʊt 90% ʌv ɪts ˈmɑrkət ʃɛr ɪn ðə læst 10 jɪrz ænd ɪts ˈmoʊbəl dɪˈvaɪs ˈbɪznəs ɪz naʊ əˈbaʊt tu bi əbˈzɔrbdˈɪntu 
ˈmaɪˌkroʊˈsɔft. ˈnoʊkiə ɪz ˈgɛtɪŋ ə ˈsɛkənd ʧæns æt laɪf ænd ɪnˈstɛd ʌv ˈlɜrʧɪŋ təˈwɔrd 
[2 6 ] ˈbæŋkrəptsi ən di ˈrʌnɪŋ aʊt ʌv kæʃ, ɪt naʊ gɛts ðə ʧæns tu reinv ɛnt itse lf wɪð ə bi ig fæt [2 7 ] ˈwɔlət tu bɪld ɔr baɪˌwʌ
ˈtɛvər ɪt wɑnts. 
ˈmɜrʤɪŋ ˈfæʃən wɪð tɛkˈnɑləʤi wɪl kənˈtɪnju ɪn ðə jɪr əˈhɛd æz mɔr deɪ - tu - deɪ ˈprɑdəkts ɑr ˈfɪtəd wɪð smɑrt tɛkˈnɑləʤi . ðoʊk
ənˈsumərz rɪˈmeɪn ˈwɛri ʌv [2 8 ] ˈwɛrəbəl tɛkˈnɑləʤi , ə fu tʊr fʊl ʌv 
smartphone - connec tɛd ˈwɑʧəz ænd fu tu ristic ˈgugəl ˈglæsəz əˈpɪrz tu bi ɑn ðə həˈraɪzən . æz tɛkˈnɑləʤi ˈɛkspərt pɔl Saffotɛlz 
eɪ-bi-si , sæm sʌŋ ænd ˈæpəl ɑr [2 9 ] ˈbæŋkɪŋ oʊ ɛn kənˈsumərz ˈhoʊpɪŋ tu steɪ əˈhɛd ʌv ðə kɜrv: 
ðɪs ɪz stɪl ðə wɜrld ʌv ˈɜrli əˈdɑptərz, ænd ən ˈɜrli əˈdɑptər ɪz ˈsʌmˌwʌn hu peɪz tu mʌʧ ˈmʌni fɔr somet ɪŋ ðæt dʌz ti kwaɪtwɜrk . 
ɪts eɪ [3 0 ]seɪf bɛt ðæt ði ˈæpəl dɛv aɪs ɪz ˈgoʊɪŋ tu bi mʌʧ mɔr kul ænd 
ˈɛləgənt ænd ˈprɑbəbli ˈprɪti kloʊs tu ə ˈfæʃən [3 1 ] ˈsteɪtmənt . 
fɔrm moʊst, ˈʤænjuˌɛri 1strit ɪz ə taɪm tu ˈtɜrˌnoʊvər ə nu lif. ˌwʌˈtɛvər ˈhæpənz ɪn 2014 , ðə ˈʤɛnərəl 
[3 2 ]  kənˈsɛnsəs _ ɪz ðæt θɪn ʤi ɛs ɑr ˈsɜrtən waɪ ˈmuvɪŋ ɪn ə ˈpɑzətɪv di irec tio ɛn , ɛm ju si eɪʧ ˈdɪfərənt fɔrm prev ˌaɪˌoʊ
ˈjuzjɪrz. æz ˈbɪznəs ɪnˈsaɪdər kənˈkludz, wi meɪ ˈfaɪnəli bi aʊt ʌv ðə wʊdz: 
ðə ˈjuroʊ - ˈɛriə ɪz stɪl ə wɜrk ɪn prog rɛs, ˈʧaɪnə ˈprɛzənts meaningfu ɛl ku estion mæks, Congre ssion æl gridloc keɪ ɪn ði ʌskʊd 
stɪl θroʊ sænd ɪn ðə ˈfɛdərəl fɪsk æl wilz ænd [3 3 ] ˌʤioʊˈpɑlətɪks kæn ˈɔlˌweɪz surp raɪz. bʌt, enoug 

Business English C Prada / 2013