Fiat Chrysler on the March
Hybrid motoring, electrification, new consumer expectations and new transportation solutions are raising the bar for brand identity of all the car makers. They are also going to conjure up the specter of commoditization
facts – however patchy – provide guidance in investment decisions, performance & risk exposure on pininvest.com will be a reality check
Cars in America - a love affair gone sour ?
It pays to focus on the US auto industry and to question why its long descent in the ranks of world-class car makers got a whiff of inevitability. The fate of these once powerful manufacturing plants is also a shrill warning : much has to change
A perfect storm
Raison d'Etat - poorly translated as 'national interest' - is a shot across the bow, forcing business to reconsider dearly held assumptions but geopolitics remains an elusive agent of influence, complicating Apple's long-term options
A cultural revolution
Apple's core business of high-end smartphones is under attack : sales growth is unlikely for lack of additional market opportunities, profitability will weaken and a bet on services to rebalance future prospects may recast the business model entirely
The Remains of the Day
Fresh strategic opportunities in France’s ultra-marine territories could be viewed as a blue print for second-tier countries, calling for a long view and a readiness to confront probable encroachments in a world of swaggering upstarts
Uncomfortable truths
Confronted with unsatiable demand for milk, New Zealand's fragile ecosystem is front-running environmental risks exposing much larger economies worldwide, glad to supply in the short term, but at what cost ?
Land of milk and honey
Ratcheting up milk supply, New Zealand is now coping with the environmental fallout. Too much of a good thing or, more probably, a warning shot the major global agriculture exporters would discount at their peril
An American high-roller in India
Amazon's Jeff Bezos has put his personal reputation on line by entering one of world's most difficult retail markets, all guns blazing. Enduring success is fast becoming a test of wills with big Indian retail determined to protect home turf
King's Indian Defense
In India's long game, the country's 1.35 billion consumers will probably be serviced by... Indian retailers - the e-commerce platforms of American and Chinese giants may share, but never own the domestic market
A case of confused thinking
Gambling on the peaceful resolution of trade "differences", the world's large business conlgomerates cannot fathom that, just possibly, globalization, the essence of their success may be coming to an end
‘What goes around, comes around'
While the advance of Chinese industry on world markets appears unstoppable, the decisions of the Chinese leadership remain grounded in history, one dynasty follows another, renewal coming after decay in infinite cycles
Streaming games
Investors' first take on the current fall-back of the major game publishers is dire : the good times are over and winter is coming, but the industry might prepare in stealth mode to adjust to technological revolutions in the offing
Stadia - what is in a name ?
Stadia, plural of the Latin ‘stadium’, were arenas – where citizens of Ancient Rome shared entertainment and interacted in many ways …and the ambition of the Google platform of the same name is no different
Dr. Moll's challenge
The achievements of Fred Moll in medical robotics are close to legendary but the collaboration of Dr. Moll with Johnson & Johnson, may raise the bar, with real-time management of the data feeds informing the robotics applications - the next frontier...
Radical start-ups for radical research
Challenging dominant Intuitive Surgical, many robotics systems are coming to market but the vast ambitions of Auris Health stand out and Verb Surgical, a Google / Johnson & Johnson partnership, is waiting in the wings
Unpacking foundational tech
A small number of specialized semi-conductor equipment manufacturers have a lock on all the most advanced applications in high-tech hardware. The industry is foundational in US-China trade negotiations because China tech cannot do without
The making of semi-conductors
Semi-conductor equipment makers, a small number of highly specialized companies, have recently been exposed to the uncertainties of a technological shift but the impact of stringent (and unpredictable) constraints to trade may be worse
Sweet spot for satellites ?
Sharply reduced launch costs and radical advance in satellite technology open the door for a new era in global communications. Constellations of satellites still need to prove their case but the future is beckoning