Global corporates tiptoe cautiously into 2010

The percentage of global companies looking to pursue new opportunities in 2010 has risen to 34 percent, by the beginning of December 2009 while over half agree that surviving 2010 is still a challenge, according to a global research carried out by Ernst & Young during November-December 2009: Lessons from change: Findings from the market.It was conducted on executive directors from 900 multinationals. For a significant minority, 2009 was a year when earning improved. Remarkably, despite the global recession, 7 percent of all businesses saw an increase in earnings of more than 20 percent.

More than a third of the firms surveyed reported that their EBITDA had grown by over 5 percent in the last 12 months. In Latin America (26 percent), Western Europe (28 percent) and Eastern Europe (29 percent), the proportion reporting 5 percent or more EBITDA growth was lower. By sector, more than 40 percent of pharmaceutical, aerospace, defense companies and banks exceeded the 5 percent growth threshold.

Staff