Economic Trends

Long-term trends grow from short term trends. We attampt to determine the short term trends and where they are pointing.

Blockchain

Blockchain Goes to Ethiopia

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When you think about blockchain you probably think about Bitcoin, e-commerce, and possibly Ethereum.  What you probably don’t think about is Africa, Schools, and Open Source Software.  But according to the World Economic Forum blockchain is making inroads in Ethiopia. Because the code for blockchain is “open source” it is available to the public domain and can be used for a variety of applications. Recently, the Ethiopian government signed a deal to create a national database of student and teacher IDs. This system will enable peer-to-peer interaction between network participants. This will provide IDs for 5 million students across 3,500 schools which will be used to store educational records. The premise is to allow primary, secondary, and university students a way to track their educational, career, and future progress via a digital identity built on Atala Prism which is a decentralized identity solution that enables people to own their personal data and interact with organizations seamlessly, privately, and securely. It is hoped that once they have a secure digital ID it will enable future “financial transactions”.

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Robinhood Statistics

Online Stockbrokers Going Public

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2020 was a big year for the online stock broker industry and 2021 may be an even bigger year. The initial public offerings of eToro and Robinhood will leave both companies flush with plenty of capital to capitalize on that growth. The COVID-19 pandemic resulted in a surge in demand for online stock brokers. Stock markets worldwide were in freefall during the early stages of the pandemic, and many new investors recognized an opportunity to buy shares of beaten-up companies via online brokerage companies. This was truly a global trend. While Robinhood dominated new account creations in the US and media headlines worldwide, other stockbrokers were competitive outside the USA.

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Asset Allocation

Aspiring Investors: Getting Started in the Stock Market

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The fear of a missed opportunity, if the stock market does indeed continue to rise throughout 2021,  is often a powerful motivator to the new investor. Although starting out is relatively easy, navigating the various pitfalls of investment can be an extremely intricate challenge without the right knowledge to back you up. In his classic book “Influence” Robert Cialdini lists “fear of loss” as an extremely powerful motivator, so we must be cautious in the face of the temptation to jump in with “both feet” without knowing what we are getting ourselves into.  Here are some tips for anyone wishing to act upon their interest in the stock market. 

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McClellan Summation Index

Why These Stock Market Indicators Should Grab Your Full Attention

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What is the McClellan Index and why should you care? According to Investopedia, “The McClellan Summation Index is a long-term version of the McClellan Oscillator, which is a market breadth indicator based on stock advances and declines. The McClellan Summation Index is used in technical analysis and can be used to identify bullish or bearish bias, as well as the strength of the trend. It is a different way of quantifying the movements in the market other than looking at the price levels of the different indices.”

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Ripple Crypto

Ripple the Cryptocurrency of Banks

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More and more people are delving into the use of cryptocurrencies for more secure online transactions. Some even consider investing in these digital assets. One of the most talked-about cryptocurrencies that have emerged is Ripple, which is also known as a platform that paves the way for fast and inexpensive transactions. Ripple which trades under the symbol (XRP) is the token that is often used to transfer value across the international banking network. Here are some other things that you need to know about Ripple.

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World Oil Production

Oil Demand Impacts Foreign Exchange Rates

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To say that the past year has been an extraordinary period for the global oil market would be an understatement. Entering into 2020, the commodity was still feeling the impact of the late 2019 drone attack on a Saudi Aramco oil processing facility. In early 2020, oil prices were highly volatile in the aftermath of the killing of Iran’s Qasem Soleimani.

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Bankruptcy

2020 Pandemic Bankruptcy Statistics

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It’s no surprise to any that have lived through the recent COVID-19 pandemic that the economy has suffered greatly. Individuals who relied on their weekly paycheck found themselves out of work for months and waiting on unemployment checks. Businesses have found themselves unable to employ workers and produce the number of products and services they’re used to. Recently, there have been a number of statistics released about how this pandemic is affecting the economy. Overall, there have been many disruptions, increases in bankruptcy filings, from May to June, and also from 2019 to 2020. Meanwhile, non-business filings fell, surprisingly. Here is a brief overview.

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