Revista Paint & Pintura - Edição 229

CLIPPING PAINT&PINTURA | Jan/Fev 2018 | 5 AN OPTIMISTIC NEW BEGINNING After a preoccupying and persistent recession, Brazil has been trying to pick itself up and get the economic crisis behind it. This year comes along with a lot of optimism and hope that all things will turn around. Forecasts by lea- ding economists, and even the government itself, suggest that the Brazilian economy is going to display a strong recovery and get back on the path of growth in 2018. However, important events like the economic reforms being planned and the coming election seasonwill greatly influence this scenario andmay determinewhether or not that much-awaited growth is going to be sustainable, as theywill also directly impact such indicators as exchange, inflation and interest rates. In this regard, there still are uncertainties in the air. Economists also point to themain factors that are expected to cause amore significant economic growth tomaterialize, suchasrisingfamilyconsumptionlevels,greaterinvestments, especiallyinbuildingandconstruction,andacontinuedfallin interest rates. According to them, the GDP for this year may growasmuchas3.3percent.Foritspart,thegovernmentpre- dicts a 3-percent growth rate, whereas the financial market announces a GDP growth forecast of 2.7 percent. The International Monetary Fund (IMF) projects that the GDP will be up 1.9 percent this year. For 2019, they expect the country’s economic performance to further improve, reaching a 2.1-percent growth rate. As for the world economy, there has been a considerable increase as well, and the GDP growth forecast of 3.7 percent has risen to 3.9 percent for 2018 and 2019. In a nutshell, the Brazilian economy is going to strengthen its growth trajectory that began last year. Therefore, it is all but certain that the country will see unemployment fall, inflation remain low, interest rates being cut again, and both investments and consumption rise. We’ll just wait and see what happens in the election, as it may, depending on its results, give a further boost to that growth. It’s going to be a very positive new beginning for our country. We’re rooting for it! We could not fail to mention that this year will also see the World Cup, which is going to take place from June 14 to July 15 in Russia. It will be yet another moment for Brazilians to keep their fingers crossed. With somany projections, this year’s first issue of ourmagazine also brings you our coverage of the main events for the paint and coatings industry that happened in the month of Decem- ber, as well as firsthand reporting on the optimistic forecasts by leaders of the industry’s associations for 2018. Check out the events held by ABRAFATI and Associquim-Sincoquim. Another featured event is ENAIQ 2017, which was held in São Paulo on December 8, with President Michel Temer in attendance, who spoke about the commitment of his admi- nistration, which began in a recession period and, according to him, is based on three principles: dialog, fiscal responsibi- lity, and social responsibility. “We are eighteen months into our administration, and already there are good signs in our economy, which is responding according to hard data. One of the first measures my administration has taken was to make a commitment to control public spending and eliminate the deficit. The government is committed to the social security and tax reforms, which will be beneficial in the long term. The social security reform will not hurt the working class, but will do away with the privileges of officials holding high-paying offices in the public sector. Simplifying the tax code is the next goal to be pursued by my administration. This will help the Brazilian chemical industry to climb up from the eighth to the seventh or even sixth position in the world ranking.” Read the full piece on the pages ahead. May all have a year full of success, peace and love! Lucélia Monfardini FINALISTS FOR 1ST PAINT & PINTURA REGIONAL AWARDS ANNOUNCED AgneloEditora is announcing thefinalists for thefirst edition of our Paint & Pintura Regional Awards, which is going to debut intheNorth/Northeast region. Theceremony is taking place on March 9, following the 34th Paint & Pintura Coatings Technology and Management Forum for the Northeast Region, at Hotel Luzeiros in Fortaleza, the state capital of Ceará, where it is going to bring together representatives of all major companies that are part of the regional coatings supply chain.