They look like solar panels but, instead of electricity, they produce water. Zero Mass Water, an Arizona start-up, has combined the two technologies. Proprietary materials inside the panel absorb water from the atmosphere, the way that an open bowl of sugar gets lumpy as it soaks up humidity. The panel’s dark surface collects sunshine and makes electricity. Another material in...

The Dow Jones, S&P 500, and Nasdaq sustained its record highs last week, as detailed in our last issue. On the mergers and acquisitions (M&A) front, and as we discussed previously in the Trends Journal, the $70 billion spent in mergers this week spooked the equity markets, where the stock-based mergers (that is, where the buyout group pays only with its...

The economic hardships sweeping South Africa are getting worse. Heavily subsidized industries are failing. Last week, South African Airways (SAA), whose last profit was made in 2011 and is notoriously dependent on state bailouts, filed for bankruptcy protection. Once the country’s biggest airline, SAA felt the blows of a recent strike. Considering the nation’s faltering economy, the government is not...

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has unveiled Japan’s largest fiscal stimulus initiative, a package worth ¥13.2 trillion ($212 billion) to stall the weakening global economy, particularly in light of a tax on household spending and the expected slowdown after the Tokyo Olympics next summer. The financial package is roughly 1.9 percent of Japan’s GDP over a 15-month period, dwarfing last year’s...

In November, Moody’s downgraded India’s credit rating to negative and is now reevaluating its major oil and gas companies, such as Bharat Petroleum, as well as technology groups such as Tata Consultancy and Infosys, as the country enters its second year of a credit crisis. With default rates at their highest in five years, businesses in India are struggling from...

Last Thursday, the anticipated national strike began in protest of President Emmanuel Macron’s plan to revise the country’s pension system. According to labor unions participating in the strike, a million and a half people participated in demonstrations across the country. As expected, business was not “as usual,” with most trains, subways, and buses canceled.  Many schools were closed.  The demonstrations...

The Hong Kong protest movement that began last June shows no signs of abating. On Sunday, nearly a million people – including parents, children, teachers, and civil rights advocates – filled the streets and city parks commemorating “Human Rights Day.” The peaceful march was in sharp contrast to the violent confrontations between police and protesters that have escalated over the...

Beyond the severe U.S. sanctions that have battered Iran’s economy, pushing it deep into recession, last week, conflicting announcements came from Washington regarding sending more American troops to the Middle East to “confront potential Iranian aggression.” Despite providing no proof, Washington has been advocating for more U.S. military presence in the region citing Iranian attacks on commercial shipping, a U.S....

Last Friday, 25 Iraqi protesters were shot to death in Baghdad’s Tahrir Square and some 150 were wounded. The day before, 13 protesters were stabbed in the same area.  Since the protests began in October, over 400 have been killed by Iraqi security forces. Iraq’s prominent Shia leader, Ali al-Sistani, stated he fully supports the protest movement. Another Iraqi Shia...

By the end of 2021, there will be over a billion security cameras in use worldwide. Last Thursday, IHS Markit, a data analysis company, reported that installations of security cameras will increase over 30 percent over the next two years and that China would account for a little over half the total. The largest manufacturers of facial recognition cameras are...