They have procedures to ensure their supply chains respond effectively to disasters, and thus generally have the necessary goods in stock.

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The distribution at least is now sorted, the company told a conference call, with almost 96% of goods in stock at any one time instead of the 88% figure seen in January.

BBC: Kmart losses persist

There is much to think about in this presentation of stock market valuations for luxury vs. daily goods producers in Japan.

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"If you look at these websites it is obvious that people have got a stock of goods they are selling, and hiding the proceeds in undeclared offshore bank accounts, " said Ronnie Ludwig of accountants Saffery Champness.

BBC: Tax form

In the second stage, people part with their money to stock up on goods before prices rise again.

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U.S. durable goods orders rose a strong 4.6% in December, which boosted the U.S. stock market and in turn added some more selling pressure to the gold and silver markets.

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