What they say

This year will be another challenging year as the old capital-intensive, highly levered industrial sector continues to be placed under severe strain, but we remain constructive on the outlook for the period ahead.

Kenneth Courtis, former Asia vice-chairman at Goldman Sachs Group and now chairman of Starfort Holdings

Following an auspicious start in the first quarter, money invested in the first quarter and projects started since last year are expected to generate revenues in the next quarter. While some structural problems remain to be solved, we still have confidence in seeing a rebound in the economy and believe that business confidence will tend to increase in the future.