Prospects for services are mediocre and the sector will struggle to regain dynamism.

The manufacturing sector's position worsened sharply and across the board. The service sector domestic balances remain weak, and there was only modest improvement following the sharp losses seen earlier in the year.

The steady fall in the critical confidence balances this year, for both manufacturing and services, is extremely worrying and requires an urgent policy response.

Pager companies are very much looking to provide new services to help them regain some of their customer base.

Until we regain a defensive swagger we are going to continue to struggle. It's a mystery to me why we have lost our confidence to play defensive with intensity. Letting another team shoot nearly 60 percent from the field is a tragedy.

Over the last half century the television interview has given us some of TV's most heart-stopping and memorable moments. On the surface it is a simple format - two people sitting across from one another having a conversation. But underneath it is often a power struggle - a battle for the psychological advantage.