Amazon's Indian Winter
Amazon's costly consumer-driven venture is floundering on the rocks of the country's exceptionalism, its democratic aspirations swayed by the pressure of its immense population and the weight of its troubled history
facts – however patchy – provide guidance in investment decisions, performance & risk exposure on pininvest.com will be a reality check
Non-Cash China, a mobile frontrunner
Reaching 802 million people for mobile payments in 2020, a 50% surge over 2017, and third party transactions adding up to $34 trillion, China's digital revolution portends major changes in retail and in finance - in China and globally
Ant Group's Digital Treasure
The 33% Alibaba subsidiary demonstrated China's digital mastery in financial applications based on world-beating data analytics. The cancellation of its much awaited IPO was a thunderbolt and the official rationale of this decision needs to be evaluated
Ant Group - a risk too far
The third-party payments processor has been in the sights of China's Central Bank regulators since 2017 because the digitalization of all cash streams, payments as well as financial, was foreshadowing the fragmentation of the banking system
Tesla 2020 and beyond
After banner year '20, the hard part...Beating back the onslaught of attractive mid-tier car models and maintaining a 'cachet' setting the brand apart in the luxury segment, Tesla has its work cut out as more production capacity is rolling off the line
Tesla - avant-garde or poster child
The 'Roaring Twenties' are here again ! Companies launch brand-new, cutting-edge products and investors flock to a rising stock market... but that was a century ago, in the 1920's, was it not ?
Space Ventures
Forever human dreams, space conquests are closer at hand than ever before, with more diverse satellite configurations, a range of rocket launchers to chose from and huge data demand requiring the build-out of communication infrastructure
Nord Stream 2 - Cause célèbre ?
The case against the Nord Stream 2 natural gas pipeline which connects Russia to Germany on the bottom of the Baltic Sea has been riding high in the wake of the moral indignation aroused by Russian opponent Alexei Navalny's fate
Gas pipelines - ties that bind...
U.S. interference with European energy policy throws unsparing light on a collective security frameworik inherited from the Cold War and superseded by America's demand of its Western partners to share the defense burden
Robotics in transition
Robots are driving the automation revolution sweeping through industries across the world but concentration on a few key sectors foretells maturing demand....Focus on the growing interest in professional service robots condones new investment strategies
The (Trade) War of the Machines
The future of trade ? Let’s watch the machines…
India e-commerce - Game Set Match ?
Connected by digital networks within two years, 800 million Indian consumers are the ultimate prize in e-commerce to establish global reach. Prepared for a fight, no holds barred, America's largest firms are committed to strategies for the long haul...
India Stack and the Fire Monkey
By bringing into perspective the goals India expects to achieve in a digitalized world, the ambition of an integrated approach, stacking personal data securely and cogently, shines through with great clarity
OECD GDP '20 - Trouble in store
In the light of new waves of the pandemic spreading on the European Continent, the 'controlled optimism' of the most recent Nov. OECD 'base-line' projections is wearing thin, delaying the projected recovery into the second quarter of 2021
Headwinds battering Europe
The comparison of stimulus policies, decided to counter the economic consequences of the pandemic across Europe, reveals the strengths and the frailties in countries starting out with vastly different fundamentals
Washington 2021 - Paris 1934 ?
To find common ground, a vision of America's future needs to be laid out that inspires confidence with the words to counter the social currents ripping apart the tissue binding a nation
Mark Shields - very straightforward
Sharing his thoughts about American politics in his final regular appearance on PBS News Hour, Mark Shields expressed his trust in liberalism , but...we have to do a little better at celebrating our successes (quoted by David Brooks)
Fou Ts'ong - an obituary
Fou Ts'ong witnessed some of China's darkest pages . Standing his ground and honouring the values of his parents with discretion and fortitude, Mr. Fou's life must be remembered
Rebounding? - U.S. and China Retail
Expected to gain the upper hand in short order, China's domestic consumer market is not (yet) living up to its promises while America sticks to the self-assigned mission of gobbling up more foreign goods than ever...aggravating tensions