There’s an old adage in business that big contracts command big headlines. But bigger isn’t always better. All too often, companies that focus only on big contracts discover there are very lean stretches between contract awards. And that affects the predictability of their earnings.

Citing the global inflation epidemic as a key threat to growth, JPMorgan Chase & Co. (JPM) made double-digit cuts to its 2008 stock index forecasts for several major Asian economies.