This Week in Charts 5-17-22
This information was reported in a LIVE episode of This Week in Charts presented by Griffin Review technology analyst Grant Coultrup. You can find the full report on Youtube.
Our data this week comes from a variety of sources including corporate statistics from research by McKinsey & Company; industry updates from publications by 3Dprint.com; and portfolio news from the Fintech Collective. Sources can be found as hyperlinks through the article, and the topics are as follows:
Wage growth during and following the pandemic;
The increasing influence of the CFO;
Inflationary expectations measured against T-bills;
Statistics of changing healthcare promotions;
3D scanning and printing applied to earbuds;
A new Directed Energy Deposition machine;
An aerospace application of 3D printing;
Evolution and acquisition of CAD;
and a deep dive into what exactly is a “stablecoin”?
Corporate Charts
Wage Analysis
Greater demand for goods and services has put workers in a more powerful position - leading to wage rates in the private sector that are double those before the pandemic. The black bars demonstrate wage levels through two years pre-pandemic; the blue shows averages during approximately 2 years through the pandemic; and the small dashed line shows those averages across a 10-year period pre-pandemic. As this analysis shows, the highest wage gains were seen in service sectors, particularly hospitality and leisure, warehousing, and construction.
CFO Influence
This next chart shows us the growing influence of the expanding role of the CFO. The latest survey found that these executives have an increasing influence in organizations with more and more roles reporting directly to the CFO. Between 2018 and 2021, the share of roles reporting to the CFO rose noticeably in functions like procurement, investor relations, and digital roles.
Expectations of Inflation
This graph shows us the implications of inflationary expectations as reflected in the spread between 5- and 10-year yields on treasury inflation-protected securities. Obviously, the implied level of inflation is higher than in any previous crisis. I don’t think it would be controversial of us to suppose that we could expect a swing in one direction to be followed by a reaction in the other.
Promotions in Healthcare
Our final corporate chart shows us internal promotion rates in the healthcare industry with data from 2019 on the left and more recent data from 2021 on the right, with women in light blue and men in the dark. Women employed in the healthcare sector have seen upward mobility success but, like in other areas, their progress in representation drops as they aim for higher levels in the pipeline. That, and it seems the pandemic had an effect: while trends through lower positions held steady, women’s promotion rate into the C-suite in 2019 was over 8%; that rate dropped to 0.8% in 2021.
3D Print News
Custom Fabricated Earbuds
Our first case is the earphone manufacturer Campfire Audio, which is using 3D printing to customize their new Supermoon in-ear monitor or IEM. The Supermoon features in-ear scanning for custom in-ear units. Fabricated as a single component, this IEM has minimal moving parts to maximize longevity and reliability. The patent-pending design has a price tag of $1,500USD for one of two fits: the Artist for everyday use, and the Audiophile for professional musicians.
Direct Energy Deposition
Next is Bharat Fritz Werner or BFW, an advanced manufacturing technology platform provider, that recently entered the metal 3D printing market with their new Directed Energy Deposition machine: the Photon 4000G Laser printer. The build chamber measures a whopping 10.4 cubic meters with dual deposition heads and a standard spec 6-kilowatt fiber laser with a beam splitter capable of directing variable power to both print heads. Manufactured entirely in India, the Photon 4000G will be available beginning in January 2023 at just above $2 million USD.
Aerospace 3D Printing
Norsk Titanium Inc has successfully completed a full-scale component-level test with General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc. This test is part of the company’s expansion into the defense market, with Norsk 3D printing with its patented Rapid Plasma Deposition or RPD technology. Preliminary tests of the RPD for landing gear were “promising”.
Evolution of CAD
German startup Hyperganic acquired physical simulation software provider DirectFEM in their effort to disrupt CAD processes by using generative design and 3D printing driven by artificial intelligence. Direct FEM’s quasi-mesh-less simulation solution is based on the Finite Cell Method from TU Munich, which makes it possible to physically evaluate designs previously considered “too complex to simulate”.
Fintech
Our news regarding financial technology comes from one of my favorite newsletters published by Fintech Collective, an investment firm whose name should give you an idea of its specialty.
Our topic today is stablecoins, blockchain currencies so named because they are designed to follow a hard currency like the US dollar. However, this token class is backed by assets that may lose value or become illiquid during stress, prompting the US central bank to vote concerns that stablecoins are vulnerable to runs.
One stablecoins is currently in the spotlight: TerraUSD and its related token Luna. Terra is the primary public transaction vehicle, capable of being exchanged as a currency similar to Bitcoin. However, Terra is designed to maintain a “stable” price as close to the value of $1 USD as is possible. This is done by tying Terra to its variable counterweight, Luna, and burning or issuing one or the other. The network’s manipulation of the two tokens theoretically keeps the price of Terra at $1 USD.
We’ll talk about the theory behind this manipulation in another show this should give you an idea of what stablecoins are and of the intent behind their creation. While algorithmic stablecoins are currently in an “experimental phase” they are an interesting concept and one which probably has some powerful impact on the future of finance. I’m a bit of a fan as this approach seeks balance in a type of digital yin and yang. The technology has yet to live up to its claims, though, and we’ll keep a careful eye before significant investment.
That’s all the data for today. If you found any of the topics interesting, let us know and we’ll make sure to include them in the next publication. Thanks for watching and we’ll see you next week on This Week in Charts.
~ fín ~
