Thematic Reads: March 2, 2020
Each week Team Tematica consumes a voracious amount of content as we look to stay on top of the latest data and mine it for tailwind and headwind signals for our 10 investment themes.
Aging of the Population
The global demographic shift towards a more senior population
- Senior Debt Has Spiked 543 Pct Over The Last Two Decades (PYMNTS)
- Robotics are bringing seniors and pets back together (ValueWalk)
Cleaner Living
Growing demand for items that claim to be better for you and the planet:
- EVs just got a boost from climate scientists worried about ride-hailing (Quartz)
- Waiter, there’s a fly in my waffle: Belgian researchers try out insect butter (Reuters)
- Taco Bell to Offer Plant-Based Fare Within a Year, New CEO Says (Bloomberg)
- Disney partners with Impossible Foods (VOX)
- In the Circular Economy, Products Are Designed to Be Recycled (Bloomberg)
Securing individuals and organizations against cyber threats and privacy violations:
- Facebook Halts EU Election Reminders Amid Privacy Concerns (Bloomberg)
- What Happens Next with Europe’s New Regulation of Big Tech (Time)
- Data privacy: Why Venmo sent my personal info – and yours – to Braze (USA Today)
- GRU’s Grand Day Out and MGM’s Bad Privacy Luck (Nasdaq)
- Facial-Recognition Company That Works With Law Enforcement Says Entire Client List Was Stolen (Daily Beast)
- Cyberattack on NRC Health sparks privacy concerns about private patient records stored by US hospitals (CNBC)
- AT&T, Sprint, Verizon, and T-Mobile will be fined more than $200 million for selling customer locations, per report (The Verge)
Digital Infrastructure
The Buildout and upgrading of our Networks, Data Storage Facilities, and Equipment
- America has limited options on 5G to fend off China’s Huawei challenge (CNBC)
- FCC Approves Plan to Pay Satellite Companies to Give Up Airwaves (Bloomberg)
- Creating Gigabit Full-Fiber Cities With Intelligent Full-Fiber Access (Light Reading)
Disruptive Innovators
Business models designed to transform an entire industry and leap-frog over incumbents.
- Amazon is opening its first full-size, cashierless grocery store. (CNBC)
- Tencent-Backed WeDoctor Is Hiring New CFO to Lead Hong Kong IPO (Bloomberg)
- Robotics are bringing seniors and pets back together (ValueWalk)
Digital Lifestyle
The increasingly digital landscape that now underpins the entire consumer experience.
- Smartphone data consumption in India grew 44x in the last four years (TechRadar)
- Changing habits in television-watching drive a surge in data consumption (ABC)
- Amazon To Enter India’s Food Delivery Space (PYMNTS)
The products and services people will consume no matter the economic environment.
- Science Says Drinking One Alcoholic Beverage Per day Could Help You Live Longer (Women’s Health)
- Panera is now offering the coffee subscription of our dreams (Guilty Eats)
- Corona (Beer) Takes Hit From COVID Naming (PYMNTS)
- House Passes Bill Targeting Menthol Tobacco Products (The Wall Street Journal)
Those things that bridge the gap between want and ability at every socioeconomic level.
- Global luxury events are especially vulnerable to the coronavirus (Quartz)
- Wealthy Jump to Private Jets to Duck Airlines and Cut Virus Risk (Bloomberg)
Consumers trading down when and where possible or looking to stretch the disposable dollars they do have.
- How to decide when it’s worth it to throw money at a problem (Fast Company)
- Some landlords offering virus relief packages to tenants (The Business Times)
- This chart is the best explanation of middle-class finances you will ever see (The Washington Post)
