India and China are entering the world's economic market. It's the most significant event to hit our economy in decades if not centuries. Think of it--half the population of the world, suddenly wanting to buy.

They seem to be managing demand out of China better these days. With steel, (China has) gone from importing to exporting.

We have a remarkably resilient economy. It's taken hits from a hurricane, and increased oil prices, yet seems to still keep going. We've had pressures that heat up and pressures that slow down the economy and consequently, we've ended up with a nice, consistent level.

China is trying to build a 'socialist market economy,' so we would persist in building an economic system in which public ownership is the mainstay.

India is a significant market for us in two respects. Over the past two years, it has emerged as our fastest growing market - one in which we have the leadership position with more than 58,000 seats and a set of world-class partners. Further, we are expanding our R&D and customer support hub.

We see slippage in retail construction as a function of increases in energy costs, which cuts into discretionary spending.