But falling European demand means falling Brent oil prices, which in turn means cheap Russian-based Urals Mountain oil prices that already trade at a discount to Brent.

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In the past few months, German exporters have still managed to sell their goods in Asia and the US, but they are being hit by falling demand in countries like Spain.

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Personal computer maker Hewlett-Packard may be trying to branch out into software and services, but it still has to contend with falling PC prices, weak demand and fierce competition in the legacy business that still dominates its profits and revenues.

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This is a key difference: caution about a company leading to a lack of demand and a falling share price is one thing, but pressure being placed on a stock by those who think it is set to fall further can represent a real problem for its future.

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The unemployment rates in many European countries are below America's, but that may be because their more rigid labour markets adjust more slowly to falling demand.

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But the senators were disingenuous in exhorting their audiences to "demand presidential leadership" to avoid falling off the fiscal cliff in January -- and wrong to imply that the president has been AWOL on the issue, leaving national security and jobs at risk.

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But while demand for Japanese products overseas improved, domestic demand for goods made outside Japan remained weak, falling by 35.6% in October.

BBC: Japanese exports fall at slowest rate in a year

But companies have more ageing white-collar workers than they could possibly promote even if demand were rising, not falling.

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But it won't work, says Fair, because the falling dollar eventually will increase inflation (Saudi Arabia will demand more dollars for its oil) and drive up interest rates and therefore the cost of servicing the debt.

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