Last year Americans purchased about 14.5 million new cars. Actually, they bought about 4.5 million new cars — mostly foreign — and about 10 million new SUVS and pick-up trucks — mostly domestic. The top selling sedans were the Toyota Camry and Corolla, and the Honda Civic. Indeed. when you read through a list of the... Continue Reading →
For the past 150 years — making an exception for the Great Depression — tariffs in the US have trended down. 150 years ago, import duties made up as much as 50 per cent of total imports, they have been less than 3 per cent since 2004. That course has changed somewhat under the Trump... Continue Reading →
When it comes to my house and my housewares, there's nothing I value more than bang for my buck. I live in beautiful Kansas City where the average home price is just $122K, so I know luxe living doesn't have to cost a ton. That's why at $14.99, these wind chimes are music to my... Continue Reading →
Last week, the governments of the USA, Mexico and Canada agreed to terms on a new free trade agreement. The US-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) is the result of over a year of negotiations and posturing that threatened to disrupt what might be the most active trading region on the planet. On numerous occasions President Trump has tweeted his disdain for... Continue Reading →
Hank Pym: "If that regulator is compromised, you would go subatomic." Scott Lang: "What does that mean?" Hank Pym: "It means that you would enter a Quantum Realm… a reality where all concepts of time and space become irrelevant as you shrink for all eternity." (Ant Man and the Wasp, 2018) The history of computers starts in... Continue Reading →
The Argentine peso lost a quarter of its value over the last month. It’s down 40 per cent from where it was a year ago, and is 6 per cent of where it was in 2008. In regional towns, queues 200+ deep form in the early hours of the morning awaiting the opening of their local bank. While on... Continue Reading →
The US higher education system comprises of nearly 4,000 colleges and universities, 20 million students and 1.6 million faculty. Public and private providers offering an array of two and four year degrees. There are twice as many universities in the state of Louisiana as there are in Australia. The peak body that represents this sector... Continue Reading →
Not too long ago, the US employed more than 300 thousand workers in car manufacturing plants across the country. Over a million more were employed in auto parts manufacturing. Since the turn of the Century, US auto’s narrative has been one of gradual decline. Automation, globalisation and changing consumer preferences drained jobs out of the... Continue Reading →
Little Miss Inventor is as bright as a button. In fact she’s as bright as two buttons… (R. Hargreaves, 2018) Last week saw the conclusion of the G20’s work stream on the digital economy in Salta, Argentina. The end product was a Ministerial Declaration recognising the importance of digital technologies to future economic growth. “A thriving digital economy... Continue Reading →
Here’s an ambitious question: what impact will AI have on the future of jobs? Since the invention of inventions, workers have always been concerned with potential impact of technology on their jobs. The potential for machines to replace workers has been accompanied by fear and trepidation. Gasoline was poured onto those concerns earlier this decade... Continue Reading →
TALES FROM THE LONG TAIL 