Which are the markets likely to be least affected by the global crisis, and possibly riding on the trends in Asia’s emerging economies? Certainly there’re the traditionally defensive sectors such as education (a personal favorite that gets highlighted regularly on this blog), training (more seeking upgrading) and healthcare. Then there is mobile-related and the Internet.
India’s cellular market is going strong and shows high growth potential, boding well for the country’s mobile service providers and marketing opportunities beckon in the near term. Which probably explains why leading Japanese operator NTT DoCoMo Inc. is pumping 260 billion yen (US$2.7 billion) investment into the Indian wireless sector with a 26% stake in TaTa Teleservices.
Which sectors may in fact experience increased activity with a gloomy economic outlook and lower disposable incomes? As more people cut down on their expenses and turn to home-based entertainment, that likely means more participation on the Web, more video gaming, online video watching and Internet shopping to facilitate easy price comparison.
While more are going online, industry players require more creative business models to overcome the usual monetization challenges. A bleak economy and rising unemployment will lead to more online players seeking refuge in another ‘world’, especially with Asia’s free-to-play (FTP) gaming model. China’s online games and digital media sector appears relatively unscathed to date.
Watch out for these in the upcoming postings. Have a good weekend.
Below picture aptly sums up a recent article that profiles the “IMF Generation, a cursed group of people who faced the 1997-98 Asian Financial Crisis upon graduating from colleges and universities”. And just 10 years after that blow, just when they’re about to find stability, another storm erupts. I feel you.
