Luxury goods market to grow 7% in 2012: study

PARIS (Reuters) - Sales growth in the global luxury market will slow this year to 5 percent from 13 percent in 2011 at constant exchange rates as Chinese customers rein in their spending and concerns about the global economy take their toll, a study has found. A closely watched report published on Monday by consultancy Bain & Co together with Italian luxury goods trade body Altagamma said the first signs of a deceleration began to appear in 2012 in China, the luxury industry's main engine of growth. ...

Michael Pettis at China Financial Markets has some interesting comments via email regarding much needed China rebalancing and a timeframe for a possible Spain exit from euro. Pettis On Spain Exit ...

BRUSSELS — Throughout Europe’s debt crisis, northern European leaders have often said they will not stand for taxpayers having to fork out for other countries’ problems, and the notion of “taxpayer-funded bailouts” has taken root. Yet despite three-and-a-half years of debt and banking turmoil, with bailouts totalling more than 400 billion euros, northern eurozone taxpayers have not actually lost a cent.

India's government said the economy will likely register its slowest annual growth in a decade and expand just 5.0 percent in the fiscal year ending in March, citing official estimates released Thursday.

By greg group: A research report published on Monday by consultancy Bain & Co together with Italian luxury goods trade body Altagamma said luxury-goods sales will grow by 7% worldwide in the fourth quarter, leading to a 10% growth rate for the year to 212 billion eurodollars, (or $274.5 billion).

The slowest pace of growth among Group of 20 countries outside Europe is adding pressure on Bank of Canada Governor Mark Carney to come out like a dove in the bank’s policy statement today, analysts say.

Rising consumer confidence, particularly in emerging markets such as China, could make 2013 a good year for luxury goods companies.   Credit Suisse’s European luxury goods team recently said that the sector’s exposure to emerging markets, where growth is high and consumer confidence appears to be back on the rise, is key to its expected success this year.   “Put simply, we see luxury as the purest play on the China consumer,” analysts wrote in a recent outlook on the luxury goods sector for 2013.  

Ahead of trading update due on Tuesday, analysts concerns