Elections, rates, AI and China

The trend towards selling goods and services directly to consumers is transforming consumer brands and the world of shopping. Companies are learning how to interact directly with consumers, using new marketing techniques and a vast amount of data to influence their behaviour. However, the relationship between brands and consumers is fragile, and allowing trust in a brand to erode can be fatal.

US Treasury yields have fallen appreciably in recent weeks, seemingly dismissing the threat of rising consumer prices. Some investors could be in for a nasty surprise if inflation proves more intransigent than anticipated, argue Michael Grady and Katarina Cohrs.

A shake-up in company reports and accounts to consider companies’ environmental impact could radically alter the way they are assessed, argues the influential political economist and accountant.

In this month’s instalment of ‘What does the data say?’, we look at the incredible rise of Dogecoin, Nike’s direct-to-consumer strategy and the highest temperature ever recorded in Canada.

As the world continues to grapple with the health implications of COVID-19, unintended consequences were inevitable. In this data-led story, we look at the effect the pandemic has had on global plastic wastage and what policymakers can do to tackle the issue.

Some of the world’s biggest companies are setting ambitious net-zero targets, with significant implications for their supply chains. How impactful could the ripple effect be in helping to meet the goals set out in the Paris Agreement?

In a wide-ranging interview with AIQ, the former UK minister of Energy and Clean Growth explains why the private sector needs a seat at the negotiating table if the world is to solve the climate crisis. Words by Miles Costello.

No single technology is enough to tackle the climate crisis, a global and systemic issue that requires joined-up thinking. We flag different pathways to address warming gases in the atmosphere – five nature-based and five technical – and ask what steps are needed next.

The tech-driven trend toward direct-to-consumer is transforming consumer brands, their intermediaries and their marketing. Intimate relationships with customers and new shopping experiences are alluring, but companies must tread a fine line between hyper-personalisation and intrusion.

Quantum computers have the potential to shake up finance, cybersecurity and other sectors. But investors hoping to profit from the new technology must be patient – and separate reality from hype.

Regulatory authorities around the world are targeting the big US tech giants. However, while investors need to keep a watchful eye on developments, Big Tech’s stranglehold and influence on numerous economic sectors will be hard to loosen.

Asset managers of many different hues claim they are thinking harder about their social role: the ‘S’ in ESG. But evaluating social value generated from investment decisions is not straightforward, as consultant Dr Kelly Watson from Hatch explains.