US Still Very Competitive in Global Economy Versus Europe

"In terms of global competitiveness what you see is the US has gained leaps and bounds versus Europe. Now, clearly emerging markets are still very competitive on an absolute cost and wage basis, they are still the leaders. However, once you add logistic costs and other associated costs the US is still very competitive at this point," Virginie Maisonneuve, head of multi-regional equities at Schroders. "You are seeing companies like Volkswagen going into places like Tennessee and getting cost on an hourly basis of $17 to $18 an hour, remember the likes of GM were firing at a cost of around $90 an hour so very much competitive."

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