James Drogan

"What is the crucial quality important for succeeding in graduate school? I will provide a few examples that suggest that: i) The answer is not intelligence – a minimum of intelligence, such as what everyone reading this article has, is sufficient for succeeding in any graduate school, ii) it is ... hard work. I apologize for the disappointment."

Read the entire, short paper at http://kam.mff.cuni.cz/~matousek/mustafa-onbeingsmart.pdf.

1. Economic Power Shifts from West to East: India and China’s share of world GDP has increased six-fold since 1970. Meanwhile, the G7 nations share of global trade has declined from 50% to 30%. This shift in economic power presents one of the greatest investment opportunities in history… and also carries many risks.
2. Demographics Are Destiny: Populations in the West are aging rapidly. In the US alone, 10,000 people turn 65 every day… and will do so for the next dozen years. An aging population means less economic activity, which has profound implications for your portfolio.
3. The Coming Technological Revolution Will Change the World: Over one-third of US jobs are expected to be automated over the next decade. But automation and advances in technology aren’t just affecting manufacturing workers—they will impact your future investment success.

Source: Mauldin Economics

“Look, here is what this cool program tells us your portfolio should look like. It’s all in the math, and that’s why you can trust it.”

Mauldin, J. (2017, May 27). The Great Reset, Part Two.

From The Emerging Data Economy:

All these data is enabling us to better understand the world’s physical, economic and social infrastructures, as well as to infuse information-based intelligence into every aspect of their operations.  It’s making it possible to not just better understand what’s happening in the present, but to also make more accurate predictions about what might happen in the future.  Beyond its use in improving the operational efficiency and financial performance of companies, the data can now be applied to significantly improve customer relationships, as well as to create whole new classes of smart products and services.

Who is "us?"  How evenly will the benefits of the emerging data economy be distributed amongst the socio-economic-political classes?

"My own sense is that the answer to 'why has it taken so long' goes beyond technology. In the first decade of the 20th century, many firms in the physical economy were often focused on how to cut costs by outsourcing or setting up global production chains, The leading providers in industries like health care and education seem exceptionally set in their traditional ways, with practices are hard for either internal executives or external entrepreneurs to uproot."

Digital Forces and the Other 70% of the US Economy, CONVERSABLE ECONOMIST, Apr 28, 2017