As we have been forecasting, centralized nuclear power plants are fast becoming relics of history, left behind by the combination of ever-cheaper renewable energy and in-house storage batteries. Now, according to the US Energy Information Administration, renewable sources of energy accounted for as much electricity generation as nuclear power plants during the first five months of 2017. Both made about...
Here comes the sun car?
German start-up Sono Motors has crowd-funded $200,000 to build prototypes of its snub-nose four-door Sion, a car sporting solar panels on its body, roof and rear bumper. It’s capable of going 18 miles a day on sun power alone. This is the latest in a worldwide gaggle of high-tech investments and experiments promising to power your car with an energy...
Forget self-driving cars; how about captain-less ships?
Rolls-Royce isn’t the only company building autonomous ocean ships. Japan’s Nippon Yusen reportedly will begin testing a remote-controlled cargo vessel in 2019. Mitsui O.S.K. Lines Ltd. and Kawasaki Kisen Kaisha Ltd. also are crafting their own versions of self-driving boats. The effort is backed by Japan’s government, which has stated plans to float 250 autonomous ships by 2025. Kongsberg Maritime...
Danger ahead. Rough road for driverless cars
While the auto industry and its high-tech partners continue to tout driverless vehicles as a reality just a few years away, Trends Research Institute tracking shows there are many roadblocks that ensure fully autonomous cars are not imminent. Now, Micro, a cybersecurity firm, is warning against an “indefensible” vulnerability in computer systems that control smart or connected cars. Other hacks...
Brick-and-mortar retail poised for an On-trend comeback
Brick-and-mortar businesses, emphasizing quality and value delivered with a human touch, will grow stronger in the months and years ahead as chains continue their downward spiral. The dramatic decline of shopping malls, a trend we forecast in 1997 when we warned that mall culture would degenerate in coming decades, often is attributed to online shopping’s rise. But as the Trends...
Your global economic trends update: What you need to know
The Trends Journal was the only magazine in the world to first forecast a Trump White House win and then predict “The Trump Market Rally.” Wait until you see what’s coming next – forecasts only Trends Journal subscribers will receive. Want to know where equity and cryptocurrency markets are heading? Not only do we show and tell you with our unique Globalnomic...
Cryptos: Millennial gold
JPMorgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon, like many business-establishment peers who persistently sound the death knell for cryptocurrencies, is wrong. As the Trends Research Institute has been forecasting, volatility in digital currencies will continue. Some offerings will crash. But the long-term trend is a crypto, not a fiat-currency-driven, future. It’s a new world millennial order; cash is not part of their...
Trendpost
The technology of electric cars has not been mastered. In particular, the problem of recharging the new energy vehicles on a daily basis is a sticking point. While various technologies, from electric highways to solar-electricity panels on cars’ roofs, are being tested, the power problem will persist. Predictions that within a decade, electric-vehicle drivers will have a range of vehicle...
Presidential reality show
Here’s a special gift for our subscribers… Artist Anthony Freda’s powerful illustration of the cast and players of the Presidential Reality Show, complemented by Celente’s Dysfunctional State of the Union address.
Cryptocurrencies: Flying high or fading fast?
Editors Note: As we go to press, cryptocurreny markets are in another stage of extreme volatility following China’s decision to shut down local exchanges. Despite erratic swings, whether in stocks, housing or cryptos, when values rapidly rise, there are always sharp market corrections. We maintain our forecast that cryptocurencies are a long term trend, not a fad and encourage you...