First off – what is globalization? It is defined as the process that moves businesses, organizations, workers, technology, products, ideas and inflation beyond national borders. We have all benefited from globalization through access to cheaper goods and services, cultural awareness and the transfer of information and technology. Many would argue on net it makes the…
How Much Can They Tighten?
Back in October 2020 I wrote about how the Federal Reserve’s (Fed) loose monetary policy was injecting a large amount of liquidity into the system, pushing investors out on the risk curve and increasing asset prices. Now, for the first time in a long time, due to inflationary pressures and what appears to be a…
Inflation Woes
Inflation is one of the biggest conversations happening on the street right now so let’s dive in to get the current state of affairs. Questions we want to address: What is the cause? What does the Federal Reserve mean by inflation being transitory? What can they do if it does not prove to be transitory?…
Consumer Sugar High?
Not long after COVID landed in the U.S. our government has doled out an unprecedented amount of pandemic relief directly to consumers. One-time stimulus payments, enhanced unemployment benefits, mortgage forbearance, student loan suspensions and other programs have enabled consumers to come out of this global recession with extremely strong balance sheets. This led us to…
Inflation Incoming?
This Sunday Federal Reserve Chairman, Jerome Powell, was on CBS News 60 Minutes re-affirming his position on consumer inflation. Last summer the Fed announced a plan which will allow the economy to run hotter than normal. They stated they will let inflation run moderately above, for some time, the Fed’s 2% target before hiking interest…
Driverless? Really? When?!
It is impossible to ignore the exuberance taking place in autonomous vehicle companies. Share prices going parabolic alongside an influx of confusion around self-driving technology. It is time we take a look at where we currently stand in regards to the driverless vehicle Tech experts have classified self-driving technology into five levels. Level 0 –…
Welcome to Zombie-Town
With Halloween right around the corner there is no better topic to discuss than the Zombification of the U.S. Financial Markets. So far 2020 has proved to empower even the most decrepit, decaying and hungry (for debt) Zombies. Let’s first nail down what a Zombie is. In it’s simplest form – a Zombie is a…
What’s Next For Facebook’s Libra?
Roughly 18 months ago Facebook announced they would be introducing a new digital currency called Libra, in 2020, to revolutionize money transfer and position them as a leader in blockchain-based digital payments. It consisted of three parts: The Libra Token – A digital token similar to other cryptocurrencies like bitcoin but with the biggest difference…
Risky Business
Yesterday CNBC reporter, Steve Liesman, interviewed the Dallas Federal Reserve President Robert Kaplan to discuss monetary policy amid our current economic recovery. There were two big take aways: He stated the Federal Reserve (Fed) needs to keep interest rates at zero for the next 2.5 to 3 years. He is worried that near zero interest…
Multiexperience: The Competitive Advantage
First off – what the heck is multiexperience? Is it just another fad? A new buzzword in tech land or is it a future trend? Let’s take a look. Multiexperience is a concept that addresses a fundamental shift in how companies should design their digital strategies to engage with customers. In simple terms, it is…