globalEDGE Blog Podcast

Xinjiang is an autonomous region of Northwest China, known for its vast deserts and mountains. Xinjiang is inhabited by several ethnicities, namely the Uyghur people of Turkish descent and the Han people of Chinese descent. The Uyghur and the Chinese have a long history of discord stemming from their religious differences, though it wasn’t suspected that there was severe oppression against the Uyghur people from the Han until early in 2020. It is now widely believed that the Chinese government has detained up to a million Uighurs over the past few years in “re-education camps.”

As the new year begins, many people’s resolutions may be to either re-evaluate what stock they are investing in or invest for the very first time. Now is the best time to start looking at predictions for how the stock market will look throughout 2021, and some hopeful versus risky stocks to invest in.

Throughout the pandemic, countries within the European Union (EU) have been providing a great deal of financial support to businesses. Although this assistance is crucial in keeping many of the companies alive, some economists worry that a majority of these countries may be allocating an excessive amount of their funds toward aiding their nation's businesses. With bankruptcies down to levels that haven’t been seen in decades, some fear that there may be a delayed wave of bankruptcies approaching as soon as governments stop monetarily assisting these companies.

Direct-to-consumer (DTC) retailing is a popular strategy for brands to develop relationships with customers, utilize digital channels of selling, and skip the middle man when it comes to product sales channels.  In the times of COVID-19, the rush to e-commerce and digitalized sales channels has created an opportunity for more brands to branch out into the direct-to-consumer market.  From clothing to makeup to food subscriptions and even orthodontic wear, this strategy presents convenience to both consumers and suppliers.  Let’s take a look at the brands and methods behind direct-to-consumer retailing.

With Pfizer and Moderna’s vaccines starting to be carried out to the general public, one might consider, "At what point will travel and tourism pick up?"  This industry has been arguably most affected of all, and will likely face the steepest recovery timeline due to the time it will take for vaccines to be administered and for world governments to ease travel restrictions.  While many of these companies have incurred tremendous financial setbacks, they are eager and prepared to provide safe travel experiences for tourists across the globe.

As Inauguration Day nears in the U.S., talk of the Keystone XL Oil Project is on the rise. President-elect Joe Biden has been rumored to revoke the permit for the pipeline, reversing the decision made by President Trump and the Supreme Court in 2019 to approve the pipeline and grant the project a permit.

Bitcoin, the digital currency created in 2009 by the mysterious pseudonym Satoshi Nakomoto, was known by few people on earth at its inception and was priced at less than a thousandth of a cent. It has grown to a current price of around $36,000 and is now debated as either the future of money or a worthless asset. It is an extremely unique currency in the way that it is an entirely digital token with no physical backing. It was created with the intention and ability to be a peer-to-peer technology, meaning no central authority or government can control it, making it entirely decentralized. This aspect of decentralization, along with many other unique features, have led many to believe that bitcoin could revolutionize the global financial system.

The coronavirus pandemic is seeing a large and hopeful light moving forward: the vaccine. Each country is putting together different plans to face the COVID-19 pandemic head on. Canada, the United Kingdom, and the United States are among the first countries to start distributing the vaccines with varying methods. Canada and the UK are both identifying priority groups and using their national healthcare to evenly distribute the vaccine to healthcare workers and to the elderly. The United States has taken a different approach, allowing every state to define its own priority groups and how they will distribute the vaccines. The COVID-19 vaccine has been highly anticipated but has created new, unforeseen problems due to distribution and transportation. A few unexpected companies have risen up to match the challenges of distribution, storage, and space requirements.

Fiat Chrysler and Peugeot S.A. (PSA) announced back on December 18, 2019, that they had agreed to the terms of a merger that is now coming to fruition. The new company will be called Stellantis and will be selling Alfa Romeo, Dodge muscle cars, Fiat, Jeep, Maserati, Opel and Vauxhall, Peugeot and Citroën, and Ram Trucks. With PSA being the largest automaker in France and Fiat Chrysler being the third-largest based in the United States, after the merger, Stellantis will become the world’s fourth-largest automaker following the Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi Alliance, Toyota, and Volkswagen Group.

2020 was a year of immeasurable uncertainty in business and economics.  We saw supply chains crumble and e-commerce demand skyrocket as businesses and consumers pivoted to adjust to life in a pandemic.  While the pandemic is not yet over, widespread vaccine distribution is on the horizon, and we have seen several industries bounce back from the setbacks brought on by COVID-19.  Let’s take a look at the global business trends we can expect in 2021.