Online Marketplaces: Great Internet Enabled Business Models
The most durable, self-sustaining and valuable marketplaces connect consumers, suppliers and realign themselves as the clearinghouse in a transaction, reducing friction and increasing scale for both sides. We look at some key characteristics of successful online marketplace models.
Getting Paid to Borrow, Negative Real-Yields, the New Reality for U.S. Corporations
A new phenomenon emerged in the credit market in early December, real-yields on investment-grade bonds turned negative for the first time in history. The setup will likely skew incentives for corporations in managing their capital structures.
Internet freedom vs regulation
The unprecedented actions by private internet companies to deplatform President Trump following the U.S. Capitol riots highlight the predicament of free speech vs content moderation and may have lasting implications for the global internet.
Emerging Economies Are Digitising – Fast
Emerging digital economies such as Latin America and India have accelerated in their bid to catch up to major developed nations, taking advantage of pandemic-related digital transformations by investing strongly in e-commerce and mobile communications. The next decade will be an exciting and opportune phase for these rapidly growing regions.
Alibaba is more than just China
Most readers will know that Alibaba operates the largest e-commerce platform in China, with its Taoabao and Tmall marketplaces. But did you know that Alibaba also operates Southeast Asia’s largest online retail marketplace?
The long-term history of long-term interest rates
I have written previously about our view that interest rates are likely to remain low for a protracted period. In June we looked at the 50-year history of interest rates in the US and discussed the challenges to interest rates rising in the near-term (click here to read), and in July we looked at equity […]
Are stock valuations naturally biased upwards?
Conventional wisdom and historical evidence support the observation that “stock prices always go up over time”. On a long enough timeline, stock returns of substantially all developed countries have been positive, driven by inflation and real GDP growth if nothing else. Businesses are created and fail, and individual stocks enter and exit market indices all […]
China’s Censorship Anaconda Awakens
US companies and executives are increasingly taking strong stances on local policy matters such as health care and gun control; however, until recently they had largely avoided scrutinising China’s position on free speech and human rights. As the Hong Kong protests enter their twentieth week, US businesses across a range of industries have found themselves […]
In the Midst of an Historic Reallocation?
Over the last 12 months we have borne witness to one of the most significant portfolio reallocations of modern times. Investors have sold ~US$250bn of global equity funds and bought ~US$780bn of bond funds (inc money market). Looking at the difference between equity and bond flows (i.e. equity flows minus bonds flows), implies over US$1 […]
Should the Australian government actually be increasing its debt?
As news is emerging that Australian Treasurer, Josh Frydenberg, will soon deliver a balanced budget for the first time since the GFC, one needs to ask if this is even appropriate today. While surpluses are prudent and allow for protection against future downturns, the logical time to build government surpluses is when growth is strong […]
