Experts say China is the best thing to happen to the luxury companies' bottom lines since the Japanese became addicted to logos in the 1980s. China will be the new Japan, suggests a report published in December by Goldman Sachs. Japanese consumers currently account for an estimated 41% of global luxury sales. The Chinese (including residents of Hong Kong) already account for 12% of the total, most of which is generated by travel purchases. Noting a penchant for status symbols and a rise in conspicuous consumption, Goldman Sachs analyst Jacques-Franck Dossin estimates the Chinese will account for 20% of total sales in 2008 and "become as important as the Japanese by 2015." Affluent Chinese tourists are already spending more than Japanese tourists, according to Vuitton's Delage. If the brands play it right in China, says Dossin, the valuation of some luxury stocks could increase 15% in the next few years. Most likely to benefit are Vuitton's parent, LVMH Mot Hennessy—Louis Vuitton, and the Swatch Group, which owns Omega, Longines and Rado, the watch brands with the biggest sales in China.

Jacques-Franck Dossin,
Head of Luxury Goods, Global Investment Research,
Goldman Sachs International

12月7日，高盛在北京中国大饭店发布的关于中国奢侈品市场的研究报告称：除私人飞机、豪华游艇外，2004年中国奢侈品消费额已经达到了60亿美元，在全球奢侈品消费中的份额已增长至12％。在这12%中，只有约2%的销售额来自中国本土市场的消费，其余约10%左右都来自到海外旅游的中国游客。高盛预测，中国在2015年将登上全球奢侈品消费市场的巅峰。

经济参考报，新华通讯社主办的全国性报纸，是中国大陆第一张经济报纸。社址位于北京市宣武门西大街甲101号。现任（2005年12月开始）负责人为总编辑王树成。
《经济参考报》创刊于1981年7月，现报名由邓小平于1990年题写。目前《经济参考报》为对开大报，周一至周六出报。