Implications of the Huawei export ban
With Huawei blocked by the U.S. Commerce Department from buying U.S. technology, we discuss ramifications on the technology sector and how the ban may end.
Category: Global sector
Labor force changes leave restaurants feeling the pinch
A lackluster U.S. economic recovery and declining consumer sentiment often get blamed for weak sales at restaurants. However, another important factor has emerged: Fewer women are working outside the home. Weaker consumer spending U.S. consumers continue to curb spending in the wake of the recession because they remain worried about losing their jobs in today’s
Brazil shines for some luxury goods makers
It can be challenging for a retail manufacturer to break into foreign markets, particularly when draconian import duties lead to price inflation and frustrate the growth of the retailer’s brand. Penetrating new geographies can be especially challenging for the luxury goods seller, as a key attraction for luxury consumers may involve where a product is
Chinese tourists become big spenders
Tourists from China spent more money abroad in 2012 than tourists from any other country. At US$102 billion, Chinese international tourism eclipsed — by 20% — the total amount spent by either German or U.S. tourists. Only seven years earlier, China spent less than one-third of what these two countries spent on travel. As massive
European brands court Chinese consumers
Since the mid 2000s, the rise of the Chinese consumer has transformed global luxury markets, opening new horizons for European companies. The challenge is to harness the buying power of China’s rapidly growing upper-middle and more affluent classes.
Banks brace for new derivatives rules
The Dodd-Frank law strives to increase transparency in derivatives trading by moving over-the-counter trading to exchanges, where prices and counterparty risk are easier to track. This provision has pluses and minuses for financial institutions. On one hand, funding the over-the-counter trading was expensive, so less of this sort of trading actually helps to free up
Bank profitability on the mend
As described in an earlier post, most U.S. banks now have — or are close to having — the capital they need to meet the federal government’s new capital requirements, we believe. One exception involves institutions that continue to have extensive investment banking operations and still are likely to need to increase capital. Generally speaking,
U.S. banks show new capital strength
In 2010, Congress passed the Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act, popularly known as Dodd- Frank, with the purpose of regulating behavior of banks and financial institutions, capital markets, derivatives trading, and treatment of retail customers. Since then, regulatory authorities have been gradually implementing some provisions while writing rules for others with a process
Broadening regional focus to global insights
Sometimes an industry evolves beyond the research model that covers it. Consider the case of financial exchanges. Sell-side equity research in this area is divided regionally between Asia, Europe, and the United States, with little or no overlap. These regional boundaries, while they make sense for research specialization in other sectors, tend to ignore the