Transcending Advertising
How many ads have you seen in the last 24 hours? If you had to guess you might say 50, 100, or even 200. The answer is likely much higher, with Digital Marketing experts estimating that Americans are exposed to around 4,000 to 10,000 advertisements each day. The omnipresence of ads in our everyday lives […]
Fed goes full reversal
In December, when US equities were in freefall over concerns about trade, the economy and Federal Reserve tightening, the Fed decided to raise interest rates for the fourth time in 2018 and reaffirmed its autopilot QT stance, sending stocks to their first intraday bear market since the GFC. Having realised their mistake and with the […]
More than Money: Lessons from the Premier League
With only eight rounds left of this season’s English Premier League (EPL) we thought we’d reflect on the world’s most popular soccer competition from a few angles. The EPL now reaches a television audience of 4.7 billion people across 185 countries, which has driven broadcast rights to increase by ~24x, from £192mm to £4,554mm in […]
Deciphering Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning
By now we have all heard the term “Artificial Intelligence” (AI) with the mysterious technology representing the next cutting edge “mega trend” in computing. AI can be thought of as the simulation of human intelligence by computer systems with the most rapid advancements currently emerging in “machine learning”. Machine learning is the core building block […]
What does a trade war “win” look like?
President Trump’s decision on Sunday to extend the March 1st deadline for a trade deal between the US and China was interpreted favourably by investors as an indication that progress was being made on the discordant trade negotiations which have whipsawed global equity markets over the last several months. But to redress the full list of […]
The economics of a change in government
Over the coming months, Australian citizens over the age of 18 will be required to vote to elect members of the 46th Parliament of Australia. As always, there is a chance of a change in government. Indeed, this time around, that chance appears meaningful. Whether one consults Newspoll surveys or the betting markets, the data is […]
An Emergent Video Streaming Trend in the World’s largest Democracy (India)
Many expect India to become a cornerstone of global growth and the next major frontier for investors in their pursuit of value. While India’s ultimate “breakout” is expected to map something similar to the Chinese economy, the timing of it is the subject of an open debate, however most agree we will likely see it […]
Netflix and the state of the streaming industry
On January 15, 2019, Netflix announced that it would be raising the monthly prices on all three tiers of its subscription streaming service by as much as 18%, barely 15 months since the last price increase. This news was well received by the market, as any price increase is pure profit for Netflix that can […]
The rough seas of 2018
Choosing businesses in which to invest is, in many ways, like choosing which boat you would to take across a vast ocean. Some boats are bigger, sturdier and slower; while some are lighter, more agile and faster. But it’s not just the boat that matters. Anticipating the weather conditions is often just as important. Value […]
US retail: a continuation of profitless growth?
The 2018 Black Friday shopping weekend is all but over and initial reports from retailers, Wall St analysts and third-party analytics providers suggest a robust start to the holiday season. Unsurprisingly, online sales continued to take share, with Adobe Systems estimating a 26% year-over-year increase in online sales through Black Friday, and various estimates of […]
