Thomas Orlik

I was impressed enough with this cogent, well organized work, that I've already recommended that our reference department acquire a copy (mid-sized public university in the midwest).

The first thing I checked were the bona fides of the author (Tom Orlick). His pedigree includes being a "China correspondent" for the Wall Street Journal, an advisor to the UK Deputy Directory of the International Monetary Fund, and one of his essays on the quality of Chinese statistics is required reading by the staff of China's National Bureau of Statistics. Also, throw in degrees from London's University College and Harvard University.

The intrinsic strength of the book is its cogent and consistent layout as it examines 35 financial indicators. Each chapter is formatted using the same template which is explicitly described at the end of chapter 1. The template includes these, and other sections: What is the indicator? Where can you get it? How often does it come out? Why is it important?

- Begin abridged example of an indicator -

Real Estate Prices, Investment, Sales, and Construction

MARKET SENSITIVITY: High
WHAT IS IT? Monthly report on prices . . . investement . . . sales . . .
CHINESE NEWS RELEASE ON THE INTERNET: www.stats.gov.cn/
ENGLISH NEWS RELEASE ON THE INTERNET: www.stats.gov.cn/english/
RELEASE TIME: . . . price data released on the 18th of the month
FREQUENCY: Monthly . . .
SOURCE: NBS
REVISIONS: No

Why is it important? (2 pages of background explanation)
How is the data calculated? (1.5 pages of explanation)
Interpreting the Data (5 pages of explanation including charts and graphs of sample data)
Market Impact: (.5 page explaining impact on equity, commodity, and currency markets)

- End Example -

Each of the 35 indicators gets the identical treatment.

Niggling complaints: The index is not very useful (I recommend using the table of contents). E.g., there was no main entry for the term "Inflation"; entry for "tobacco spending" directs to page 92 but information is on page 90. I would also prefer a glossary (so I'm ignorant as to what "YoY" stands for).

I still give this incredibly useful work 5 stars. I would love to see similar treatment of the same economic indicators for other countries, including the United States. This is a must buy for any academic library with a business program, especially those specializing in international business.

Disclaimer: The reviewer received a free copy of this book via the Amazon Vine program.… (meer)