This Week in Charts 7-29-22
This video is the transcript and data from a Youtube video which can be found here.
Welcome back to another edition of This Week in Charts, which summarizes the data flowing through my network. Let’s look at today’s topics:
Corporate Charts
- A special look at economic change across five powerful charts;
- Effects of a toxic workplace;
- And a tally of eco-friendly investments.
3D Printing News
- 3D printed furniture?
- The leap forward in additive construction.
And some rapid-fire headlines in Financial Technology.
Let’s begin.
Our first series of charts today is some analysis of the current economic situation. Begun by a pandemic, inflamed by war, and perpetuated by the modern psyche, this series will shed light on where we are today.
Inflation
In the first chart of our economic change series, we look at inflation. Inflation jumped globally in the past six months, and in some nations it has more than doubled the predictions from December 2021. Countries in Europe have generally been hit hardest, while increases across Asia have been less severe, with some nations remaining close to last year’s projections. The one outlier I’ll mention is Saudi Arabia, which is the only nation on the list to realize actual inflation lower than their 2021 projection.
Commodities
Next we see this in view of commodities. Supply chains under pressure due to the pandemic became further strained after Russia invaded Ukraine. That conflict has disrupted access to energy sources, crops, and fertilizers, pushing commodities prices well over averages from just a few years prior. The producers have been monitoring the fertilizer constraints as a leading indicator of the coming food shortages.
Housing
Our next chart shows housing prices. Prior to the onset of inflation this year, housing prices in many countries were already climbing, largely due to pandemic-fueled demand and a dearth of inventory. The real-estate pricing surge was widespread globally, with the highest gains in Turkey and New Zealand.
Wages
The next chart displays real wages. Real wages had been flat for several years in most OECD countries until just before the pandemic. Then they soared as labor markets tightened. Widespread inflation has stifled these wage gains, hindering the purchasing power of consumers’ take-home pay.
Food Prices
Wrapping up the series is a look at food prices. Basic food prices are trending upward as the result of boosted fertilizer costs and other impacts from the conflict in Ukraine. The prices for food commodities now are even higher than they were during price hikes in 2008 and 2011.
Toxic workplace behavior is the biggest predictor of employee burnout symptoms and intent to leave, according to our research. More than 60 percent of negative workplace outcomes are due to toxic workplace behavior. When it comes to positive outcomes, inclusivity and a growth-supportive environment are the top two factors.
Opportunities for sustainability-themed start-ups are on the rise, thanks to advances in technology, government-funded financing, and regulatory policies. Between 2018 and 2021, $2 billion was invested in sustainability-linked start-ups, with Europe and North America leading the way—and Asia rapidly catching up. According to McKinsey analysis, Asia could potentially see up to a tenfold increase in start-up activity over the next three to four years.
3D Printing News
3D Printed Furniture
Additive Manufacturing is unique in its potential breadth of applications but currently stymied by its developing technology in its ability to break into those applications. One such organization breaking into the market of 3D printing home furnishings (coffee tables, stools, lamps, and such), is Oakland-based Model No. The maker has a special focus on their environmental footprint, sourcing their timber and PLA pellets from responsible producers. In addition to its method and supply chain, Model No. also plays to the concern that American furniture products are loaded with harmful carcinogens, chemicals that improve flame retardation, by designing their products and processes to avoid their use. However, they boast a 5-week lead time… a laughably long time frame in the scheme of additive manufacturing.
Advances in Additive Construction (AC)
The field of additive construction, or, AC, has become crowded with experts and pretenders alike. One success story comes from CEMEX, a Mexican multinational building materials company that began studying the 3D printing market about six years ago. Encouraged by the AM ecosystem advancements like speed and automation, CEMEX investment advisor Ibon Iribar classified startups based on their technology used, like gantry system versus robotic arm, as well as their application, like structural or prototype. Working in partnership with concrete extrusion company COBOD, the development of a material catalyst was begun. The catalyst, labeled D.Fab, is an admixture of specialty chemicals that makes the concrete more fluid, pumpable, and curable. This catalyst is the true value producer and a game changer for the AC market, enabling many more use cases of 3D concrete printing and lowering associated costs dramatically.
I don’t want to understate the importance of this catalyst. Where previously, concrete extrusion was messy and unpredictable, it can now be smooth and precise. This could allow AC to develop into a full-fledged industry and realize many advertised goals, such as affordable housing.
Beyond housing, this opens up the door to applications like foundations for wind turbines, mixed material AC, and 3D printed habitats on the moon or Mars
Financial Technology
Our news is delivered courtesy of portfolio manager Fintech Collective. I encourage you to subscribe to their weekly newsletter at this link. There’s a lot happening in the Fintech world, so we’re going to go rapid fire through some headlines.
Banking giant UBS launches a USA-focused new Climate Aware Equity Index, directing acquisitions to adhere to a list of low-carbon and climate-resilient goals. The index uses a systematic, rules-based approach to the selection and weight assignment of portfolio companies. You can download this factsheet at this link.
Youtube partners with Shopify to debut Livestream Shopping, a trend we discussed some weeks back. With this partnership, creators can feature store items on their Youtube channel and LIVE inventory updates on streamed videos. Other key features include “live redirects”, where viewers can seamlessly link from the creator’s livestream to the partner brand’s livestream, and co-hosting promotional streams by two creators.
Crypto exchange FTX is on my show again, this time looking to raise money after several rounds of acquisitions. Following CEO Bankman-Fried’s buying spree where he provided struggling crypto lenders with cash in exchange for equity, analysts estimate that both FTX and FTX US sit near their January 2022 valuations.
Goldman-backed UK-based fintech startup Starling has withdrawn its European banking license application. According to a memo from CEO Anne Boden, the organization will focus more heavily on its software-as-a-service product and expand into new areas of lending with targeted M&A deals.
Cryptocurrency tax software provider CoinLedger has integrated their program with blockchain network Polygon. Users of the polygon network can now seamlessly update their tax and accounting information, effectively automating the reporting of capital gains, losses, and transactions.
And with those stories, we reach the end of our show. If you find any of the topic intriguing or informational, let us know in the comments and we’ll focus research in that direction. I encourage you to check out the audiobooks on my channels during your commute. As always, thanks for watching, and I’ll see you next week on This Week in Charts.
~ fïn ~
