David Brown Confidence Quotations

The weakest link in the recovery chain still remains the consumer, but as long as business confidence continues to improve, there is a better chance of faster job creation and a better fillip for consumer confidence down the road.

This is a basic signal that the euro zone downturn will travel a lot further. The events of Sept. 11 have delivered a huge blow to business confidence and sentiment,

Consumer sentiment and failing confidence is going to be a big blot on the growth landscape in 2003,

The fundamentals for sustained M&A activity remain strong, and deal activity will be driven more by a buoyant economy, industrial restructuring, ongoing privatization and continuing regulatory and A-share reform. Major deals can also be expected in outbound investment as Chinese companies gain greater confidence in 2006.

Economic confidence is weak because of high oil prices, but all that will change once oil is back down to $20 a barrel. But the economy is strong: we expect growth of about 3 percent this year and at least 3.5 percent next year.