As I do at the end of each quarter, let’s take a look at how the markets are faring. What could be on tap as we close out the year? How might we want to structure our B2B and B2C marketing efforts? Markets First, let’s check the broad markets. DJIA: S&P 500: NASDAQ: All three…
This fall, citizens of the Bay State face ballot question 4, the question of legalizing marijuana for recreational use. A Yes vote legalizes marijuana for recreational, non-medical usage (it’s already legal for medical use). A No vote keeps the law the same. A bit of background about me: I’m a Massachusetts resident and have been…
I take a look at common economic indicators once a quarter or so publicly, usually at the end of each quarter. Now that the UK has voted to leave the EU – and the ensuing economic shock has hit – I thought it would be a good time to examine those indicators again. A couple…
The UK referendum to exit the European Union creates a vast cloud of the worst thing for business: uncertainty. Article 50 of the EU constitution, the lawful secession of a member state, has never been exercised until now. How do business leaders and marketers consider this turn of events? The short answer: too soon to…
Remember how at the beginning of the first quarter, some economic advisors were shouting that the sky was falling, sell everything, and run for the hills? How are things shaping up? Was that warning warranted? Let’s take a look at the economic conditions of the first quarter and how the second quarter is shaping up.…
Is business slowing down? A handful of leading indicators may warrant concern. A theme I’ve heard repeated in many different business conversations is that business is slowing down. Customers aren’t buying as much. Executives aren’t signing contracts. Sales prospects are stalling in the pipeline. Are there economic indicators which could explain this phenomenon? Or are…
I shared the dire predictions of the Royal Bank of Scotland for 2016 recently; the TL;DR version was “panic, sell everything, and hide in your bunker“. Is their prediction warranted? Panic isn’t, but caution is. One of the most important lessons about economics is to do your own work. Download the data, make your own…
Once upon a time, when I worked in financial services, I checked charts and quotes daily. I watched the world’s markets like a hawk, because macroeconomic issues that could impact my work often had leading indicators days, weeks, or months in advance. Even today, I still check in, though not nearly as frequently because my…
LinkedIn recently published their data-mined list of the hottest individual job skills of 2014, based on recruiter interest and LinkedIn profile data. Here’s the raw list: Do you see a trend? I do. Let’s cluster them together by broad topic areas like marketing, data analysis, and technology skills: That’s impressive. Of the top 25 skills,…
I left the world of financial aid and student loans way back in January 2010. I had created a ton of content for the company I was working for at the time, including the very first financial aid podcast, and I’m proud that kids paid less for college based on the work I did. But…
