globalEDGE Blog Archive November 2022

Global markets around the world are expected to plummet as protests in China continue. The protests are due in part to China’s strict zero-Covid policy and citizens' disapproval of such rules. This has been one of the first major government challenges since the Tiananmen crisis more than 30 years ago. China has seen a high number of positive Covid-19 cases, and on Saturday, the nation saw a new high of 40,000 cases. China is the second leading consumer of oil in the world, yet with the intense Covid-19 restrictions, the country is seeing a dip in the amount of production. The nation’s high-risk districts make up close to 65% of China’s gross national domestic product. The country has seen protests for three days and there is no sign of them slowing down.

Esports has been a growing industry over the past few decades and has grown at a healthy rate. The popularity of esports started internationally in South Korea and China in the late 90s. By the early 2000s, its popularity reached the United States. With the addition of Twitch, a streaming service built around video games, the popularity of esports went international by the early 2010s. Investors were enticed by the esports industry and expected a fruitful market in the upcoming years. In 2022, many investors not seeing a return on their investments, not due to a lack of popularity, but rather a difference in markets.

After some delay, Russia has decided to extend its grain deal with Ukraine for another 4 months, easing fears that Russia might abandon the deal. This deal will continue allowing Ukraine to ship grain through the Black Sea. Ukraine is already shipping millions of tons of grain through this deal. Ukraine is also a top supplier of wheat, barley, and supplies 46% of the world’s sunflower oil.

During an economic crisis, Egypt is cutting back on its domestic energy consumption to provide more natural gas to Europe. This past summer, the Egyptian government began to reduce household electricity consumption by cutting the lighting in some streets, squares, shops, and government buildings. In order to do this, the amount of natural gas needed to generate electricity must be reduced by 15%, and the surplus will be shipped to European buyers who pay top dollar for liquified natural gas.

FTX was founded in 2019 by Sam Bankman-Fried. Based in the Bahamas, the crypto exchange allowed users to trade cryptocurrency. With a surge in interest in crypto, the company rapidly grew to earn more than $388 million in net income in 2021. Before FTX’s downfall, many referred to Bankman-Fried as the J.P. Morgan of the crypto world. The founder would cut deals and buy out rivals, growing his personal net worth to billions of dollars. This all changed on November 11th when the FTX Group once worth 32 billion dollars filed for bankruptcy, forcing him to step down as CEO.

2022 has been a difficult year for the technology industry. What was once considered a high-paying, reliable marking is taking a turn for the worse. Tech companies from Amazon to Zillow are laying off employees at an alarming rate. Tech stocks have fallen significantly after a recent series of upsetting earnings reports were released.

Within the past decade, there has been a rapid increase in innovation across the automotive industry. Many of these innovations are encouraging automotive companies to put millions of dollars into research and development of electric vehicle technology, self-driving capabilities, and automotive software improvements. Many automotive giants, such as the big three U.S. manufacturers, Ford, General Motors, and Stellantis, are competing to release the most cutting-edge battery technology.

This past Sunday night, the Philadelphia 76ers NBA star Joel Embiid from Yaounde, Cameroon made history. The court was electric watching him dominate a career-high 59-point game, scoring 26 of the 27 points in the fourth quarter. Earlier this year, the Denver Nuggets took a surprise visit to Sombor, Serbia to surprise Nikola Jokic, the fourth internationally-born player to win the NBA MVP award multiple times. In 2021, a player notoriously nicknamed “The Greek Freak”, Giannis Antetokounmpo, secured the Bucks' first championship title in half a century, earning him back-to-back MVP trophies. With such successes and a broad reach to countries around the world, the NBA is becoming recognized as more than simply television entertainment.

This year's high inflation rates are going to cause some problems for suppliers and consumers this holiday season. Unlike in past years, suppliers are facing the issue of having too much supply and not enough buyers. Because of the outrageous prices being applied to housing and gas, consumers are being forced to put their money into more essential needs instead of holiday shopping.

Beer is a beverage that finds a place in almost every occasion, from a relaxing night in to a social gathering with friends. People flood into local dive bars and even travel for events such as Oktoberfest in Munich to experience a wide variety of brewers, communities, and venues. With beer dating back to ancient times, it is not surprising that it has evolved into the unique flavors we see today; a more unexpected turn is the growing popularity of non-alcoholic beers.

Many countries are focusing on sustainability and how they can work to prevent global warming. Sustainable fashion is one option that can make a substantial impact. In 2018, the fashion industry accounted for 2.1 billion metric tons of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, which is equivalent to the entire economies of France, Germany, and the United Kingdom combined. The responsibility for change is falling on manufacturers, brands, consumers, and policymakers. As the apparel retail market continues to grow, the need for sustainable fashion and sustainable shopping behaviors becomes more essential to reach the 1.5-degree pathway. Japan, Singapore, and the United Kingdom are just a few countries trying to lead the way for sustainability in the fashion industry.

Trade partners are seeing a ripple effect throughout their economies following disagreements regarding established regulations. In 2020, NAFTA was replaced by USMCA, the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement, to help facilitate trade regulations in North America. Even though this agreement was only enacted two years ago, some of its rules are already being questioned and even ignored.

Halfway through MSU's academic semester, in this blog, we will highlight key changes and updates our team has made over the last few months.

Climate change is a subject that few need an introduction to. The world is continuing to see long-term changes in temperature and weather patterns, some of which are being driven by humans. The prevalent use of non-renewable energy has increased this shift in climate, forming new issues in other markets. One industry that is seeing new obstacles due to climate change is the travel industry.

Historically, foreign investment in African nations has tended to do more harm than good for the country's people. Africa’s many developing nations are rich in natural resources and host an abundant workforce, but reliance on markets like petroleum and mining has led to more exploitation than profits. In many cases, these industries have been foundational causes of civil unrest, disease, and violence. In recent years, however, the growth of one innovative industry puts Africa in a position to draw investments of a much safer and more valuable nature: telecommunications.

With society on the edge of its seat in anticipation of a continued recession, the U.S. is going against expectations and is appearing to turn around the economy. The U.S. economy grew by 2.6% in the third quarter of this year after declining by 6% in the first quarter and 1.6% in the second quarter, which by definition takes the economy out of a recession. This is introducing reduced fears of a future recession; however, it does not prove that the economy has fully recovered.

European Union lawmakers and member countries reached a deal to ban the sale of new gasoline and diesel cars and vans by 2035. It would effectively prohibit the sale of new cars and vans powered by gasoline or diesel in the 27-nation bloc. The deal EU between negotiators was made on October 27and is the first agreement of the bloc's “Fit for 55" package, which the bloc's European Commission set up to achieve the goal of cutting greenhouse gas emissions by 55% over this decade. Under the deal, carmakers are required to reduce the emissions of new cars sold by 55% in 2030 compared to 2021, leading to a 100% cut five years later. The European Parliament and member states must formally approve the agreement before it is put into action.