What’s going on? Companies are spending 15% more in 2021 than they have done before the pandemic to equip themselves for the post-pandemic future. What does this mean? Supply delays, chip shortages, and the green revolution are forcing companies to invest in their production capabilities and in-house technology. This is also accompanied by increasing consumer spending,…
Tag: pandemic
Ep 174: The US’s biggest airlines lower their forecast and the industry’s outlook
What’s going on? 3 of America’s biggest airlines (United Airlines, American Airlines, and Southwest Airlines) warned that a rise in coronavirus cases will impact profits this winter. What does this mean? The Delta variant has been on the rise in the US, which is likely to put everyone off their vacations, which is apparent through the…
Ep 172: PayPal announced to buy Paidy and the Buy-now-pay-later market
What’s going on? PayPal (US payment platform) announced that it would buy Paidy (Japanese buy-now-pay-late with 6m users) for $2.7b. What does this mean? PayPal started offering its own buy-now-pay-later service in 2020, through which customers have made $3.5b worth of purchases. This deal comes as part of Paypal’s longer-term plan to push further into the…
Ep 162: The Fed’s announcement of slowing the bond-buying program and its effects on the economy
What’s going on? The Fed indicated that it’ll start tapering (slowing) its bond-buying program before the end of 2021 – just like investors expected. What does this mean? In 2020, the Fed cut interest rates to near-0% and started buying up $120b worth of bonds/ month. That flood of cheap money actually helped the economy stay alive…
Ep 155: Disney’s beautiful quarterly result and the streaming & outdoor services outlook
What’s going on? Disney announced stronger-than-expected 2Q/2021 earnings. What does this mean? Disney’s theme parks, experiences, and products segment speaks have been the main drivers that return profitability to Disney for the first time since the pandemic began. Most of the segment’s profit came from people buying merchandise. As Disneylands is getting busier again, it…
Ep 148: Burberry is feeling optimistic about the luxury industry
What’s going on? Burberry is feeling so optimistic about the luxury industry that it lifted its sales forecast for Q1/2021. What does that mean? The pandemic is thought to have overwhelmed luxury retailers like Burberry. But as China and South Korea is starting to spend lavishly again, Burberry’s expecting sales to be up by nearly 1/3…
Ep 147: JD.com’s glow and China’s digital future
What’s going on? Online retail giant JD.com reported better-than-expected results, after China proved it’s leaning into a digital future. What does that mean? JD.com’s been making the most of the pandemic, reporting an expectation-beating 31% sales jump in Q4/2020. While in-house delivery is what sets JD apart from Alibaba (which relies on 3rd-party couriers), investors are…
Ep 142: HSBC’s better-than-expected quarterly earnings and Asian expansion plan
What’s going on? HSBC posted better-than-expected quarterly earnings It admitted it’ll need to start expanding into Asia sooner. What does that mean? HSBC has had two big challenges lately: it’s been making less from lending due to ultra-low interest rates, while simultaneously having to set aside enough cash for bad debt allowances; Even though last quarter’s…
Ep 137: Walmart’s worse-than-expected earnings
What’s going on? Walmart reported worse-than-expected earnings, driving its shares to fall by their biggest one-day drop in almost a year. What does that mean? With groceries, cleaning products, and plenty of other lockdown essentials, Walmart’s been a one-stop shop for Americans throughout the pandemic; especially when fresh government checks encouraged shoppers to buy last quarter….
with HT 