Customer Reviews

Always a Winner: Finding Your Competitive Advantage in an Up and Down Economy

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I have read all of Navarros books. This is the most inferior so far. The most questionable chapter is chapter 14 where he says"The stock market is a very powerful predictor of business cycle turning points". He later uses a chart of the SPY to prove his point. The chart actually proved the opposite. While the Subprime crisis was spreading and causing the biggest mortgage companies to close or sell themselves at firesale prices, the stock market actually made an all time high in october 2007. Then it dropped like 15% in November and actually went up in the month of December-THE MONTH THE RECESSION STARTED.
When I asked Navvaro about this he said he looked more at the trend. Well the trend of the Stock Market in 2007 was definitely upward. The drop in November 2007 after the market hit an all time high does not qualify as a change in trend especially considering the fact that it went back up again in December. When the Stock Market hits it's all time high 2 months before the start of the worst reccesion since WW 2 , it is illogical and misleading to say that the stock market is a leading indicator of bussiness cycle turning points

Companies that carefully monitor the economy can prosper in all phases of the business cycle, a relentless alternation of economic expansions and recessions. Best-selling author and scholar Peter Navarro champions a do-it-yourself approach to forecasting. He says that instead of relying on outside experts, firms should produce their own economic forecasts to ensure optimal decision making in both the upturns and downturns of the business cycle. Navarro provides multiple examples of economic indicators that require no formal education in economics to understand. His book also includes case studies of companies that embraced macroeconomic analysis and of others that ignored the potential of tracking the broad economy. getAbstract recommends this book to any manager who wants to use economic forecasts to make better business decisions.

This timely addition to a series of extremely insightful books from Peter Navarro is a must read.

Just as The Coming China Wars completely changed my understanding of the role of China in the world, Always a Winner gave me the most critical forecasting tools and strategies to gain a competitive edge with my business and portfolio.

This book clearly illustrates how to gauge all of the forces at work in the global economy. It reveals the key steps taken by some of the worlds most successful companies that allow them thrive in any economy and how they can be applied to any industry. Use it to get a step ahead of the market and be in the right position for the next economic shift.

I wish I could have read this book years ago. It will be one of the few books to take up permanent residence on my Kindle.

This is the sort of book that most people wish they had read two years ago, but do yourself a favor, don't be caught off-guard any longer, read Always a Winner now. Navarro puts together the information and strategy that any business or organization leader needs to forecast and be ready for large changes in the economy. Having this sort of insight into the economic indicators that signal a recession is literally the difference between having 20/20 vision and running through a forest blind-folded. As a business owner, I feel empowered with the knowledge that I'll be able to identify the sorts of economic signals that precede a downturn and other large economic shifts. Additionally, I'll be able to weather the current economic storm and better identify when a turn-around is truly taking place. I can't imagine going up against my competitors without this type of awareness.

I got my copy of Always a Winner from Amazon earlier this week - another great read for our executive team. Following the principles in The Well Timed Strategy, our national brand consumer package goods company has been able to increase advertising and market share; execute a capital expansion into manufacturing; keep all our workforce; fill three new key positions with top talent; and improve supply chain pricing during the current recession. I'd say practicing the principles Peter teaches is well worth the price of his good books! Read 'em and reap.

The "Good to Great" for these hard times! Finally an honest, practical explanation of how many wise investors and business leaders see recessions coming well in advance and exactly what they do about it. Navarro presents a simple step by step process for monitoring the economy that will take just a few minutes a week and backs it up with real world strategies from winning companies. The text is clear and humorous and illustrated with simple to read charts and graphs.

A very easy weekend read and a must for every CEO and business owner. If this book had been out three years ago, it could have saved literally thousands of large and small businesses and many more jobs. The last chapter on investing timing is worth the price all by itself. Never be caught by surprise again, read it.

This was required for an economics class. It helped me understand the content and know what to look for as I did research. Easy to read and understand.

This has to be one of the best books on using straight forward indicators to predict business cycle- market- directions.

A must read for business owners and do it yourself investors. Skip the MBA and by this book.

ALL PETER NAVARRO" BOOKS HAVE BEEN A GREAT INTEREST TO ME. HIS CHINA BOOK IS EXCEPTIONAL.
IN TODAY'S WORLD, WE NEED ALL THE ECONOMIC INFORMATION AVAILABLE. WOULD LIKE HIS BOOK DISCUSSED ON "OPRAH".