It’s a good news week for Billabong. For those of you keeping an eye on the industry/buisness side of boardsports, you will be interested to hear that despite the gloomy economy, Billabong has managed to buck the trend and keep its fortunes up. The Australian is reporting that “Billabong has bucked the volatile economic conditions facing other struggling retailers, with a 5.5 per cent lift in full-year net profit to $176.4 million.” See the full article here. Apparently their good fiscal condition has to do with operating a clutch of brands accross enough countries that despite sales being lower in places like the US and Australia, the Euro’s can’t get enough of the gear. Anyway, this news will hopefully boost the other publicly listed international surf brands – we could be the new crude.