Reports

In 2016, growth in the Japanese ICT sector is expected to be modest at 0.9%, due to market saturation and a low economic growth forecast of 0.6%.

The industry is characterised by sharp price erosion and fierce competition, especially in the wholesalers segment. Market concentration is still on-going.

Currently all Russian electronics / ICT subsectors face major troubles, especially those retailers and wholesalers that trade in foreign currency.

Still a red card: many payment delays, and construction insolvencies in both France and Romania are expected to remain on a very high level in 2016.

A draw in sector comparison, as both the Slovakian and the UK automotive industry show a robust performance. Payment behaviour is generally good.

In both countries the food industry is scoring abroad, as exports have emerged as the main driving force of sales. However, some subsectors face problems.

An uneven match, given that the British ICT industry is doing rather well, while the Russian ICT sector is caught in a downturn, with many insolvencies.

The Spanish chemicals sector shows a strong team performance, while competition is high for Czech chemicals businesses. Producers prices have decreased.

Spain remains a heavyweight in the automotive playing field, while the sector faces troubles in Turkey as domestic demand is expected to decrease further.

In Germany, poor payment behaviour of public buyers is an issue, while in Poland protracted payments are high. Overdue payments up to 30 days are common.

The Belgian machines sector faces some troubles in the construction-related segment. Italian machinery scores abroad, but not yet in the domestic market.

In both countries the food sector is scoring abroad, as exports emerged as the main driving force of sales. But some segments face fierce competition.

The Industry match-up reports analyse the risk situation/outlook in one industry for countries which are paired together in the Euro 2016 tournament.

The turbulent waters that the global economy faced at the beginning of the year have calmed but the underlying issues persist.

The economy in Eastern Europe is forecast to continue growing 1.1% this year. However, trade credit risk from foreign late payment is on the rise.

Respondents in the Czech Republic (46.5%) seem to be most convinced that domestic B2B customers use outstanding invoices for their financial advantage.

Hungarian respondents (76%) seem to be the hardest hit by late payment of domestic invoices due to customers’ insufficient funds (64% in Eastern Europe).

More respondents in Poland (around 30%) than in Eastern Europe (around 20%) are concerned about a worsening of the DSO figure over the next 12 months.

30% of respondents in Slovakia (18% in Eastern Europe) consider maintaining adequate cash flow as the biggest challenge to business profitability in 2016.

Turkey has the highest domestic payment default rate in Eastern Europe, with 61.1% of the total value of domestic B2B invoices paid late (55.2% in 2015).