2020: What’s your vision?
2020 – What’s your vision? Looking ahead not only to the new year, but the new decade, we’ve got one question on our minds: What’s in store for financial services marcomms? Find out in our new blog from UK Director Katie Spreadbury.
A blessing in disguise: More than one million Americans, struggling to cope with the rising cost of health insurance, have joined Christian non-profit health groups which have a lower premium than the traditional insurers, reports the New York Times.
One such group, Samaritan Ministries says, “Just trust God” as “there is no coverage, no guarantee of payment” in the event of an emergency. This has brought about scrutiny from state regulators regarding these groups’ operations
No guarantee for Trump, warns Morgan Stanley: Morgan Stanley strategists say investors should be careful about assuming that strong U.S. economic conditions guarantee that President Trump will win another term, reports Bloomberg.
More from Bloomberg: “‘The most common misconception among investors we talk to is that solid economic growth assures the president’s re-election,’ strategists at the Wall Street bank including Michael Zezas wrote in a note Monday. ‘Our take: be reactive, not proactive, and let plausible policy paths guide you’ with regard to the campaign, they said.”
Singel’s banking dreams are far from dashed: Singtel, a telecommunications company had its hopes dashed (pun intended) when it tried to team up with Standard Chartered to create Dash, a mobile-money unit. but Singtel is back in the financial services game, now partnering with Grab, a car-hailing app to bid for a digital-banking license from the Monetary Authority of Singapore. This is supposed to be a profitable proposition as both firms are well-placed and can shake-up banking across East Asia, according to The Economist.
Teens cash out online: According to The Guardian, the proportion of teenagers working Saturday jobs has dropped almost 50 percent. As per stats, only a quarter of 16- and 17-year-olds now do any conventional paid work. Instead, many of these young adults are now going online to make money, with 2 million 15- to 24-year-olds signed up to the fashion trading site Depop.
Stock buybacks: Companies listed on the S&P 500 have invested more than $5.3 trillion into repurchasing their own shares since 2010. Check out this video by the Wall Street Journal on how stock buybacks work and how they affect the economy.