Tech Review 1) Bank of the Future, 2) How China Created Its Own Internet

Tech Review (TR 2019-03-02)--Domain Mondo's weekly review of tech investing news: Features • 1) Bank of the Future, 2) How China Created Its Own Internet, 3) Investing: The Week & Investor Notes: China, 4) ICYMI Tech News: Google, Amazon, Nokia, 5G, Ericsson, AT&T, Tesla, Click-and-Collect, Wirecard, Oracle v. Google, Berkshire Hathaway, Gundlach on Facebook $FB. 

1) Bank of the Future

As emerging digital finance platforms launch new and differentiated products, including bespoke, consumer-centric solutions and experiences, they are building scale more efficiently and quickly than ever before, according to Brandon Watkins of the Goldman Sachs Investment Banking Division. In the video above, Watkins explains how the “bank of the future” is being shaped by three trends – a shift from offline to online banking, growing consumer trust for digital-first platforms and consumers’ desire for personalization and tailored product experiences. “You’re seeing these new digital finance platforms… starting to compete with some of the biggest traditional banks in the world,” he says, while some of the traditional financial institutions are turning to “technology platforms to add to the product capabilities and experiences that they’re delivering to their customers today.” Goldman Sachs video above published Feb 20, 2019.

2) How China Created Its Own Internet

From a single email sent to West Germany to restrictions on Winnie the Pooh and the letter N, this is how the Internet took hold in China. Bloomberg.com video above published Feb 19, 2019.

3) Investing

The Week: NASDAQ Composite +0.9% | S&P 500 Index +0.4% | DJIA -0.1%

S&P 500 closes above 2,800 for the first time in nearly 4 months on trade optimism--marketwatch.com

Richard Cohen: The Democratic Party is trying to gift reelection to Trump | WashingtonPost.com.

Even After Sanders, Harris, and Others Enter Race, Bookies Have Donald Trump as Massive 2020 Favorite--mediaite.com.

Longview:

Investor Notes:

China: Anne Stevenson-Yang, co-founder of J Capital Research, reportedly wrote in a Feb. 18 commentary, that Beijing’s recent exertions have helped banks, but reflation efforts seen in January are insufficient to stem the broad deterioration in financial conditions. China’s economy will likely continue in decline until corporate and financial defaults force the authorities to launch a gigantic stimulus.

A Chinese real estate developer in Shanghai, boarded a flight to Malta last month with no plans to return anytime soon. After landing, Mr. Chen, a former judge and lawyer, shared on social media a 28-page article explaining himself. “Why I Left China,” read the headline, “An Entrepreneur’s Farewell Admonition.” “China’s economy is like a giant ship heading to the precipice,” Mr. Chen wrote. “Without fundamental changes, it’s inevitable that the ship will be wrecked and the passengers will die.” “My friends,” he urged, “if you can leave, please make arrangements as early as possible.”--NYTimes.com.

Imports by China and other emerging Asian economies in December plunged to the lowest level in two years, in the steepest one-month plunge since 2008--wolfstreet.com.

4) ICYMI Tech News:

Shaping the future of mobile with Android--Google says Android One activations grew 250% YoY, 50%+ of new entry-level Android devices are Android Go, and Digital Wellbeing tools are coming to more phones. See also: Helping more families set digital ground rules with Family Link--blog.google.

Amazon's Cloud Dominance--cloudchart.png.

Nokia CEO warns 5G implementation 'will be delayed in Europe'--CNBC video. And Nokia says 5G would not be delayed by ban on Chinese suppliers--reuters.com.

5G: Ericsson $ERIC buys antenna and filters business of Germany's Kathrein--reuters.com.

AT&T the Next Kraft Heinz?--SeekingAlpha.com: highest debt load in corporate America, poor earnings growth and has paid over $120 billion for acquisitions in recent years.

Tesla $TSLA moment of truth will arrive in 2020: "Volkswagen’s electric-car onslaught and an economic recession will put Elon Musk’s company to the test"--marketwatch.com Op-ed Feb 22--Until then, Elon Musk has plenty to deal with: SEC problems again; and Consumer Reports recently stopped recommending the Model 3 because of reliability issues.

Click-and-Collect: sales where customers order goods online and pick them up at a nearby store rose 47% in November and December compared with a year earlier, far more than the 16.5% growth in online sales, according to Adobe Analytics.

Germany’s regulator banned short-selling in Wirecard--share price slid after allegations of false accounting surfaced--economist.com.

Amicus Brief (pdf): EFF Asks the Supreme Court to Clean Up the Oracle v. Google Mess--eff.org.

Berkshire Hathaway:  2018 Letter To Shareholders (pdf) (BH owns 5.4% of Apple): 3 Key Takeaways--SeekingAlpha.com.

Facebook:

$FB

Do you still have an opinion on Facebook?" ... I just think that Facebook-- their big problem is obviously their business model. And I talked about things that are safe ended up being unsafe. I think that's Facebook I mean, they sold themselves as comfortable and safe, but they're really just a diabolical data collection monster. And they're unrepentant. And I just saw yesterday they were talking about more regulation in Europe in the UK. And when the regulators show up, usually, the stock prices go down. Health care had a meteoric rise until the regulators showed up a few years ago, and then a big decline. So I don't really trust Facebook. So the fact that I don't trust them makes me not like them, and the fact they don't like them makes me want their stock to go down."--Jeffrey Gundlach extended conversation with Yahoo Finance [Transcript] (pdf).

-- John Poole, Editor, Domain Mondo  

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