Timing & trends

SPECIAL REPORTS from Cannabis Business Conference

Posted by MoneyTalks Editor

on Tuesday, 20 November 2018 20:00

With “Investing in Cannabis” as the kick-off theme for the 2019 World Outlook Financial Conference in February, we took up Mark Leibovit on his suggestion that we attend the MJ Biz Con in Las Vegas last week. With the help of Tess Woods and the MJ Biz Conference media team we’ve produce a fantastic series of 9 MoneyTalks exclusive interviews – all of which are shared below.

This podcast-only series provides exceptional insights into the booming industry, identifies trends and opportunities for investors, and introduces some of exciting Canadian listed companies and their leaders.

You can subscribe to the MoneyTalks with Michael Campbell podcast on iTunes, Google Podcast or via Omny. Enjoy!

 

 

c21

Are You Ready for the Third Wave?

Posted by Trent Disruptors / by The Trend Letter

on Monday, 19 November 2018 20:24

Microwave

Market cycles tend to happen in waves, and technology companies have become a bigger and bigger part of recent market waves.  Since about 1989, many tech companies have pushed their way into the top ranked firms in terms of capitalization, profits, and investment success.  In the early days, it was just IBM and Microsoft.  As internet developments matured there was much more success spread around, with the likes of Bing, Amazon, and Yahoo joining in.  This was the First Wave, and it gave us the internet boom of the 1990’s and those wild boom and bust investments in the technology sector.

The first wave was exciting – a time of over-the-top speculation, but the innovations eventually caught on with consumers, in a very big way, and profits started to roll in, also in a very big way.  This paved the way for a second wave.

The iPhone was the catalyst and poster child for the Second Wave, as tech companies are all striving to greatly improve their communication networks and the convenience of being constantly “in touch”.  There are also great efforts being made for information to be more convenient, more personal, and more manageable.  Making sense of all the available data is a huge challenge, as there has been a gigantic tidal wave of data produced recently.  IBM estimates that 90% of the data in the world has been produced in the last 2 years, so how do we figure out what to read, what to believe, what to trust?

A part of the solution is to make the data more personal, so that systems get to know you, and vice versa.  Examples include:

  • NEST thermostats that learn when you are home or away, and what temperature you’re comfortable with when you are home
  • Music systems like SPOTIFY and PANDORA that learn your listening preferences and help you discover new music you will probably like
  • Trip planning websites that learn your travel adventure interests and devise specific trip plans just for you
  • GOOGLE Home and Amazon Alexa / Echo devices that interact personally with you and make efforts to help you through your busy day

And then there are all those APPS that help us to manage our day, like UBER , LYFT, Weather Channel, or communicate with others via Snapchat, Instagram, Twitter etc.  All are trying to lessen the effort and worry about everyday tasks, although there is a growing concern about the surrendering, stealing, and mismanagement of such a large amount of our personal information – advertisers, scammers, and governments want more of it every day.  When technology does its job well, users benefit in that they spend less time managing tasks and chores and spend more time doing things they really like.  As the Second Wave matures, innovations come along that assist and support us in decision making, critical thinking (information discernment), and time management.  The Second Wave brings us a plethora of helpers that ease our everyday lives with small and useful touches.

So what about the next wave – The Third Wave? We are now seeing this wave starting to form.  Each wave starts with an innovative catalyst, leading to more innovation, speculation, and investment opportunities.  There will be winners and losers along the way, but when the wave breaks, huge profits will be made by those who have the best information and analysis.  A possible catalyst for starting this Third Wave is Augmented Reality (AR), with innovations that could transcend the iPhone and all Smartphones, making them obsolete.  AR is different than Virtual Reality (VR) in that AR overlays graphics and images on top of the real world around you, something like the Pokemon Go game that became wildly popular on Smartphones a few years ago.  AR is also the technology that fighter pilots use for the Heads-Up-Displays (HUD) in the cockpit of their jet fighters.  If you put advanced AR capability into a pair of glasses, with voice, gesture, or eye movement controls, then every current Smartphone capability could be accomplished with a pair of glasses.  Google glasses first appeared in 2013 and the project morphed into Google Glass Enterprise in 2017.  Recently, a highly valued private company, Magic Leap, released an AR headset called Magic Leap One. These are first generation devices and have yet to achieve significant consumer adoption. Much like waves One and Two, Third Wave innovations can sound like science fiction, but we tend to always underestimate the speed of progress and the depth of amazing ideas and devices that are bound to change our lives.

The Trend Disruptors team analyzes new technologies and identifies the companies that stand out in terms of investment potential.  These companies may be large or small.  The best and most promising generate Trend Disruptors Premium recommendations.  We are watching a broad range of companies and technologies, all striving to disrupt specific market segments and/or be part of the next wave.

Let Trend Disruptors be your guide to the future, as we continue to identify technology investment opportunities that can lead to financial success. Subscribe today for just $599.95  $399.95, a $200 savings. Click Here to subscribe at this special rate.

VW to Spend $50 Billion on New Tech to Take on Rivals

Posted by Christoph Rauwald

on Monday, 19 November 2018 17:41

WV Car

A year after throwing down the gauntlet with an unprecedented outlay on next-generation mobility, Volkswagen AG has boosted its five-year plan by more than a quarter to 44 billion euros ($50 billion).

With the new record through 2023, the German carmaker is highlighting the huge stakes in moving from the combustion era into an electric future. Volkswagen said it now plans more than 50 fully-electric models on the road by 2025, more than any other manufacturer. The push, including next year’s Porsche Taycan, is part…Click here for full article

Can We Expect A Major Rebound In Oil Prices?

Posted by Nick Cunningham

on Monday, 19 November 2018 15:34

oil

After declining by more than 20 percent from the October peak, oil prices are showing some signs that they have now bottomed out.

WTI hit a low point at $56 per barrel on Wednesday and Brent hit a low just below $65 per barrel. Both crude benchmarks regained some ground at the end of the week, despite the huge increase in U.S. crude oil inventories. In fact, rising prices in the face of the 10-million-barrel increase in crude stocks suggests that oil may have already hit a bottom. “[Y]esterday’s price reaction to the US inventory data shows that negative news is now largely priced in,” Commerzbank said in a note. “This is the only way to explain why an increase in US crude oil stocks of a good 10 million barrels failed to put further pressure on prices.” CLICK for complete article

 

Apple’s Volatile Ride Continues Amid Reports Of Production Cuts For New iPhone Models

Posted by Shanthi Rexaline

on Monday, 19 November 2018 15:27

aaapl

A Wall Street Journal report portended further troubles ahead. Apple reduced its production orders for all three of its newest iPhone models in recent weeks, WSJ said, citing people familiar with the situation.

“Lower-than-expected demand for Apple’s new iPhones and the company’s decision to offer more models have created turmoil along its supply chain and made it harder to predict the number of components and handsets it needs, the report said…. CLICK for complete article