Rising automotive production in the countries including Malaysia, Thailand, and Vietnam are boosting the demand for industrial gases in the region, since past few years. • The industrial gases are used in automotive metal processing and fabrication applications, such as vacuum annealing, hot isostatic pressing, powder production, sinter hiping, thermal spray/plasma spray, cutting and welding, annealing, brazing, sintering, hardening, cryo-treating/shrink fitting, machining, etc.The production of all types of vehicles in countries including Vietnam, Thailand, and Malaysia increased by 0.2%, 9%, and 12.6% in 2018 compared to 2017.  The increase in automotive production plants in Thailand is one of the driving factors for the consumption of industrial gases in the country. SAIC Motor-CP built a new production capacity of 100,000 units in December 2017.

Oil and gas exploration and production are complex processes. Pertaining to low interest due to the decline in oil prices, during 2014-2016, the oil and gas companies had not invested much into it. However, with the stability in oil prices and ample amount of proven reserves, the companies have started to invest in the market. Indonesia had the highest reserve, followed by Vietnam, as of December 2018. With rise in activities in the upstream sector, the EPC market is likely to grow in the region. The downstream EPC market occupies a major share, owing to the huge cost incurred in the installation of refineries unit. It is followed by the EPC contract of pipelines used in the transportation of crude after exploration, and for the transportation of gaseous products from the refineries. The overall refining capacity in the South Asian countries showed an increase of ~7.37%, during 2011-2018.

The spine is a column of bone and cartilage that extends from the base of the skull to the pelvis and acts as the core of the human skeleton, supporting both the head and body. Given the complexity of the spine structure, it is susceptible to various ailments that can lead to instability and significant pain in people. Back pain is a leading cause of healthcare expenditures globally. It affects around 31 million people in the US. Spine disorders/ailments are primarily caused by degenerative disease, trauma, deformity, and tumors.

Over the years, headphones have undergone a vast transformation in their appearance, sound output, portability, and connectivity due to advancements in manufacturing and audio technologies. The evolution of headphones is yet another consequence of the mobile revolution that started at the beginning of the millennium. MP3 players have moved from standalone devices to applications on the home screen of smartphones and other mobile devices. Therefore, music enthusiasts have turned to spend their time and effort on the hardware through which they listen to music. In-line microphones are now primarily a standard feature while wireless connectivity has become more affordable. In the future years, health sensors and other capabilities are likely to morph headphones into multifunctional gadgets.

Taiwan's disease profile will remain favourable for prescription drugs as the prevalence of chronic diseases continues to grow and authorities work to improve the drug approval process. This will cause a corresponding rise in demand for treatments in therapeutic areas such as cardiovascular diseases, oncology and dementia. A key risk facing multinational drugmakers seeking to commercialise products that target these disease groups will stem from the cost containment measures employed by the National Health Insurance Administration (NHIA). The Taiwanese pharmaceutical market amounted to TWD195bn (USD6.5bn) in 2018, accounting for 16.7% of total healthcare spending. It has one of the largest medicine market in the Asia Pacific, with a high per- capita pharmaceutical spending of around USD273 in the same year. As with most developed countries, prescription drugs are dominant in the market, accounting for 93% of total sales in 2018 - the bulk of which (around 70%) came from patented drugs with a value of TWN126bn (USD4.2bn).

At the beginning of 2018 Orange changed the way it presents its results and as of that date has shown revenue (including results also for 2016-2017) broken down by mobile services only, only fixed and convergent ones, as well as equipment sales, IT and integration services, wholesale and other revenues. A new way of reporting financial and operating results was subordinated to the convergent services segment, which is one of the strategic areas of the operator’s activity. Other areas of activity on which Orange focuses in order to improve its results are access to fixed-line and mobile internet, wholesale and ICT services. At the beginning of last year, the operator applied a new IFRS 15 standard in its financial reporting (causing a different allocation and recognition of revenue from the sale of mobile services and subsidised phones), however, not publishing comparative historical data. In parallel, Orange, showed revenues reported in accordance with the previous standard IAS 18

Thailand’s textile industry is a major non western entity that constitutes more than 2000 garment companies and an almost equal number of textile firms most of which are located around Bangkok and eastern Thailand. The textile and apparel industry of the country plays key role in the country’s GDP and export revenue. Textile industry in the country is quite expansive in nature with a greater level of proficiency in the production, design, and sale to home textiles. It is a world renowned silk producer which also manufactures spin or twist yarn. It is also excelling in the latest trend in the textile industry of ecofriendly finishing, dyeing, and printing services which meet global standards though it has to deal with some issues.

The market for final mile delivery in the country is gaining importance, owing to several factors. The market is significantly increasing, owing to the rapid growth in the e-commerce industry. The increase in consumer preferences for faster deliveries and multi channel retailing gaining popularity are some other factors that drive the market. In order to accommodate the growing demand, the companies are expanding its resources to increase the number of deliveries per day. Besides these, the Turkish last mile delivery market is associated with some challenges, such as traffic in the urban areas leading to high fuel costs and the regulations of the government on trucks regarding the environmental concerns, which may hamper the growth of the market up to some extent.

Meat demand has been considered as major factor alfalfa prices as there is higher demand for meat, there is higher demand for production and thereby higher productivity. Growing demand for quality feed mainly alfalfa across major countries China, Japan, US, UAE and Saudi Arabia has resulted in higher prices in the recent years. Correlation has been calculated between US alfalfa prices and the meat production with major alfalfa markets during the period 2014-2018. Average of correlation of each meat category including chicken, swine and beef and veal meat is calculated and also average of all meat to analyze the impact of each category on US and Spain alfalfa prices. Similarly, correlation for major alfalfa markets (supply and demand) has been calculated.

United Arab Emirates (UAE) is under a critical phase of transforming from an oil based economy to an industry driven economy. The country is actively making political alliances with countries, such as Saudi Arabia, and venturing into several manufacturing industries. Emirates, in collaboration with Saudi Arabia, invested AED 5 billion toward several food security initiatives that open several market opportunities for the packaging industry in the country. The investments into manufacturing are majorly spurred by the recent economic slow down caused by low crude oil prices and reduced activity in the upstream oil and gas industry. The years 2016 and 2017 had a severe impact on the country’s economy.