Global Recovery and Risk of Double-Dip Recession

The global economy continues to recover from the worst recession since the Great Depression of the 1930s. A prime indicator is the volume of world trade. The value of exports in emerging countries rose by 8.7% during the last 3 months of 2009, although the corresponding rate in developed nations was less than half that level.

A popular concern in the business press is the bugaboo of a second meltdown in the global economy. The pundits like to point out that the recovery over the past year was driven by the massive outlay of public expenditures. As the impact of the stimulus packages wears out, the economy could run out of steam in 2010.

Even so, the problems on the horizon are unlikely to lead to any serious injury to the entire population of investors, consumer and producers around the planet. Any flaps on the horizon should be minor compared to the ordeal we suffered through over the past year and a half.

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Data Mining in Business

Data Mining is the Crux of Smart Software for Business Planning

Data mining deals with the synthesis of useful information from a collection of elementary facts. For this purpose, one approach lies in the panoply of traditional tools such as statistical analysis and graphic displays. The classic schemes are fortified by modern tools like neural networks and genetic algorithms.

Thanks to advances in smart software, nifty schemes can be used to automate some or all of the work required to extract fresh information from inert data. In spite of – or perhaps due to – rapid strides in data mining over the past few decades, the breakouts have had only a modest impact in the business environment. In fact, the majority of companies rarely make much use of modern techniques, with the possible exception of neural networks in certain niches.

Despite the slow uptake, though, the tools of data mining have been playing a growing role in industry. Smart techniques can bring about a wholesale change in the way business is conducted. If the platforms are deployed properly, the result is an uplift in productivity for individuals and organizations as well as the economy at large.

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