I’ve been away for a while driving around the US. I stayed in a different hotel every night for two weeks and only once had to pay anything to use Wi-Fi – European hotels take note please.

I don’t have a TV at home, but I did switch on the hotel sets now and then, mainly to catch up on the Democratic national convention in Denver. Though this all happened last week, some of Barack Obama’s comments are still filling the pages of newspapers in countries where offshore outsourcing is booming.

Specifically, Obama said: “Companies that ship jobs overseas will not get tax breaks.”

It seems just like the kind of patriotic statement one might expect at a party conference - everyone knows that a new leader has to make bold statements, especially in the first speech since getting a formal green light to run for president of the USA.

However, it’s still causing consternation around the world. Nasscom, the Indian IT trade association, has been releasing rebuttals interpreting the statement as more focused on manufacturing than services. Better ask the Chinese what they think.

Personally I don’t see any cause for alarm. The US is an integral part of the world trade machinery and its economy relies on an unrestricted two-way flow of goods and services.

The concern has been blown out of all proportion and will be forgotten soon.