Whiskey ETF?
I have written on numerous occasions (Look Back at Blog about ETF Proliferation) about the proliferation of ETFs and the unintended consequences that might come along with this trend. Believe it or not, there is now a Whiskey ETF where investors invest in the so called “Bourbon and Whiskey Economy”. I am not sure if this is more indicative of a bubble in Whiskey or ETFs, but the answer is probably both. I wonder if all of those “passive” investors out there will have an appetite, or thirst if you will, in this latest ETF? Read More: Bottom's Up: There is Now a Whiskey ETF
A.I. Driven Ships
Over the weekend, I heard that the fifteen largest cargo ships pollute more than every car in the planet. After only a couple of minutes of research, this actually looks to be accurate, mainly because ships use a mostly unregulated and unrefined heavy fuel oil. Cars on the other hand, use a dramatically refined fuel and, as a result do not spew much black smoke into the air. If you have ever been on the beach and noticed that persistent black haze out near the horizon, it is most likely all the black smoke from the shipping lanes. Just like cars, trucks and trains, Artificial Intelligence is bringing the prospect of autonomous cargo ships into the realm of possibilities. These ships will not only dramatically reduce shipping costs, but they will be powered differently, and as such, will likely operate much cleaner than today’s soot spewing cargo ships. Click Here to Read an Interesting Piece from Rolls Royce on Autonomous Ships
Teen Trends
I think it is important to understand teen trends and habits as a broader indicator of coming trends, since teens are often the first adopters. In reading through a recent Piper Jaffray survey, here are some interesting teen tidbits:
- 40% of teens indicated Amazon as their favorite eCommerce website. eBay was second at 3% and out of 10,000+ participants, six cited Target and one cited Wal-Mart.
- Restaurants represented 23% of total spending for upper-income teens, with limited service restaurants leading the way.
- Amazon Prime adoption has grown across the board, with 58% teen households reporting having the service.
- For the first time in history, YouTube outpaced cable T.V. in terms of how they spend their time.
As someone with two teens at home, I can say that none of this surprises me. My kids rarely watch regular T.V., buy everything on Amazon, and go out to dinner all the time with their friends (they are too embarrassed to go with me, of course).
Cleveland Indians
By the time I write my next blog, the Cleveland Indians will quite possibly be in the World Series. This is an amazing feat since most sports fans across the country could barely name most of our players. Not only that, but we have overcome major injuries to several critical players. A new nickname is emerging for Cleveland, they are calling it the “Land of Champions”. MORE: Welcome to the City of Champions. If the Tribe can somehow follow in the steps of the Cavs, then this nickname may just stick. As for the Browns…
