Markets & Industries
Credit card debt in the US is approaching pre-crisis levels - 05/23/2016
In 2016, outstanding credit card debt in the US could reach $ 1 trillion. Thus, the debt level is approaching the record plank of 2008 – then, the debt reached $ 1.02 trillion. According to experts, the growth of debt on credit cards indicates stabilization of the economy and increasing consumer confidence. On the other hand, this rate is also influenced by aggressive policy of banks issuing...
What risks threaten the world economy? - 05/19/2016
Russ Certo of Brean Capital together with Bloomberg experts prepared a comprehensive analysis of the current market risks. Their key takeaways reflect not only increasingly significant decline in the global capital market. They explain why investors are increasingly choosing to move away from risk, leaving central banks deal with each other. Investors withdraw from the capital market due to...
The black side of the Chinese medical services - 05/17/2016
A private clinics scandal, triggered by complaints from affected patients, is flaring up in China. This time, it’s about a cancer patient’s story. The patient is a 21-year-old student, who found one of the hospitals through an internet ad. The advertisement assured that it is "the most advanced method", and recovery guaranteed, so the student had got his treatment for more than 30 thousand...
How close are we to sovereign cryptocurrency? - 05/16/2016
Rapid development of algorithmic digital currencies (payment systems related to the blockchain technology, primarily Bitcoin) should lead to a tightening of monetary policy of the world central banks. This is stated in a joint review of NBER association by economist David Yermack of Stern business school, and Max Raskin, lawyer from the law school at New York University. The review presents a...
FDA's rules claim apple pies are healthier than avocados - 05/13/2016
Office of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) wants to give a new definition of healthy eating, taking into account the changed approach to health and diet. According to current rules, almonds are considered less healthy than, for example, an apple pie. Yet, this view may change in the future. At the request of food manufacturers and congressmen, FDA is revising criteria of "healthy". This...
Global drones market is estimated at $127,3 bln - 05/12/2016
Volume of world’s developing market of business services using drones exceeds $ 127 billion. This figure was calculated by PwC basing on research in the field of commercial use of unmanned devices technology. PwC even opened a special office for this consulting segment. The revolution in the use of drones has a significant impact on various sectors of the economy, from agriculture to the media....
Fast-growing chickens scare consumers away - 05/10/2016
In the last half-century, breeders have doubled weigh of a usual broiler chicken. Now, the birds are gaining weight twice as fast. For meat producers, this means cost reductions and faster profit. However now, companies such as chain stores Whole Foods Market and Starbucks coffee house chain rely on buyers willing to pay more for chicken that grow slower. The growing demand for such meat reflects...
'Black Swan' of the Chinese shadow banking sector - 05/09/2016
Chinese banks are more willing to lend to non-bank institutions - brokerages and lenders, who are intermediaries between banks and businesses. The informal sector’s volume has reached almost $ 7 trillion. Analysts warn that the credit bubble could become a "black swan" to hit China's economy. Chinese banks are rapidly increasing their lending to non-bank financial institutions. This trend may...
Millennials are changing the cosmetic market - 05/09/2016
Leading US perfumery and cosmetics companies - Coty, Inc and Estee Lauder Cos – say that the cosmetic market is experiencing almost revolutionary changes. The shift is associated with appearance of new customers with new demands and new ideas about what they want. Those are millennials, for whom speed, simplicity and low cost are more important than high price and duration of the effect. The...
Oberthur Fiduciaire: there’s a lot more to a security printing company than meets the eye… - 05/07/2016
Founded in 1842, French security printer Oberthur Fiduciaire has become a trusted partner to 70 central banks worldwide. We met Thomas Savare, the CEO of the company, for an interview.