Certain Uncertainty

What a roller coaster ride we’re on. No matter what the industry, the cloud that’s hanging over the general economy (national and worldwide) seems to dwarf other factors. Companies of all sizes and shapes are dealing with higher costs and soft demand—which isn’t a particularly good combination.

In the recently released second quarter earnings report for Graphic Packaging Holding Company, CEO David Scheible summed up some of his company’s challenges. “We continued to experience soft demand in some core end-markets like beer, soft drink, and cereal. Persistent high unemployment and higher fuel prices are forcing end consumers to continue to tightly manage discretionary spending.”