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| Cigarette prices are up, but Indonesian smokers still prefer Sampoerna's premium brands |
This year, Asian financial markets have boomed again as investors grow more confident that recovery in Asia can be as steep and dramatic as was the collapse. Ultimately that confidence may be misplaced, but clearly some Asian companies, after the initial paralyzing shock, have responded energetically and purposefully to the challenge.
Corporate life in Asia is pressing forward again. The theory that some companies and banks were too big to fail has been dismissed and survivors share a new mentality. They are marked by their zealousness in clawing back former expansionist plans and focusing on core business.
