I am not a superstitious person and have no regard for silly things like black cats or bad vibes from failing to look someone in the eye when we clink glasses.
However, 2013 really did seem to be jinxed by those last two digits. It was a most vexing year for Western Australian business which had avoided the worst of the global financial crisis.
In many regards, the state is still lucky to have the amount of completed and ongoing projects that it has, but there is no doubt that many decision makers, both consumers and business, have put off many commitments until the outlook brightened.
There are strong signs that 2014 might be more positive.
Globally there are plenty of indications that world demand for our key commodities remains strong.
We might not see growth here like there has been, but the ‘bust’ many expected might well have been avoided. Certainly our readers, as surveyed in mid-December, are telling us they expect conditions to improve in 2014. Most other surveys are also positive.
Here’s hoping that even if 2014 starts slowly, that once we are all back behind our desks and ready for work, the opportunities of the New Year will be found in abundance.
