In October 2015, the alternative-data company Eagle Alpha published its research on GoPro, the popular action camera company, with much of its findings having been determined by using web-scraping techniques. “The data from US electronics websites pointed to potential weakness in GoPro revenue for the third quarter of that year,” Eagle Alpha noted.
Thanks to key advances being made within the realm of fintech (financial technology), the term democratisation of finance has become perhaps the most important of all from a global-development perspective in recent years. But truth be told, the actual democratisation process can mean different things to different people.
The COVID-19 pandemic has made 2020 a truly singular year. With a deep global recession resulting from strict lockdown measures being implemented throughout much of the world, there has been little for investors to cheer. But with signs that the worst may be mostly behind us, an increasing number of opportunities will undoubtedly present themselves as we move into 2021.
The Digital Age has transformed every corner of the financial world, including investments. Once the exclusive domain of the wealthy, investing is now open to anyone, thanks to micro-investing platforms. Equities have demonstrated comparatively strong returns in our low-interest-rate environment and are well worth the attention of even those with only some change to spare. What are the most promising avenues available to the small investor keen on breaking in?
Natural resources offer investors endless and rewarding opportunities. Today, one of the most interesting segments is rare earths, a group of 17 minerals used in trending products from electric cars to smartphones. China has the corner on this market, despite US efforts to muscle in. Even though rare-earth prices have taken a hit during the pandemic, investors would still do well to consider adding these versatile minerals to their portfolios.
Investors are bombarded with stories regarding how investment opportunities will pan out, but not all are good; some are bad, and a few are fairy tales. How is an investor to recognize the good ones? Much depends on the quality of the source, often the investment manager—who needs to be a professional storyteller of stories worth telling. But how to achieve this ideal in a less than ideal world?
Investment is no longer only about making a positive financial return. Investment options are growing, as many investors look to balanced portfolios that bring not only monetary benefits but environmental and social gains for the causes about which they care. As opportunities to invest in assets following ESG criteria multiply, the three main factors that make this investment opportunity rewarding for all include geography, the blue economy and private-sector participation.
Due to the unique challenges that have arisen from the pandemic-induced lockdowns, 2020 has been a tough year for many industries around the world—not least for the auto industry. As COVID-19 cases continue to emerge in earnest, government restrictions that remain in place to this day throughout much of the world
On June 20, 2020, it was reported that 20-year-old Alexander Kearns, a student at the University of Nebraska, had taken his own life after believing he had racked up more than $700,000 in losses by trading options using the popular Robinhood investing app.
With the prices of used cars and trucks recently experiencing their greatest increases in more than 51 years in the United States, US consumer prices rose solidly in August by a seasonally adjusted 0.4 percent compared with July. As such, prices have now risen for three consecutive months, with July and June levels each rising by 0.6 percent.