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Insights and Analysis of Canadian Digital Media Consumption During the Coronavirus Pandemic
In the midst of the COVID-19 crisis, millions of Canadians are staying home and turning to their computers, smartphones, and tablets as a core source of news, information, education, and entertainment. This article is part of a series of insights that reveal a Canadian perspective on the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on consumer behavior and significant audience shifts across digital platforms. This week we will highlight some of the major category changes reflected as of the week March 23 - 29, 2020. Key Insights from Our Analysis: Digital consumption continues to grow, although at a slower pace Canadians are still consuming news at a record pace, but growth is slowing Sports and Real Estate declines are slowing Retail overall is stable but key categories like Toys, Apparel, and Books are increasing in consumption Canadian usage in Dating, Pets, Food, and Family & Youth Education on the rise Canada's Total Digital Population An analysis of Canadian Total Digital Media consumption looking at the percent change from week of March 23, 2020 to March 29, 2020 from the previous week of March 16, 2020 to March 22, 2020 showed continued increase of Unique Visitors (UVs), Visits, and Minutes, but does reveal that some increases are at a slower rate than previous weeks. Unique Visitors grew by +1%, Visits by +2%, and Minutes by +5%. At a top line that is still substantial growth, but throughout this release we will give insights into what is driving these increases, and in some cases highlight categories that are starting to show recovery. Analysis from the News and Information Category This category has been a huge focus over the past few releases given the amazing growth of Unique Visitors, Visits, and Minutes as COVID-19 became more prevalent in Canada. Canadians flocked to News/Information websites in record numbers driven by General News, Local News, Weather, and Politics. With that being said, during our latest week of data (week of March 23, 2020 to March 29, 2020) we have seen a lower percentage increase for the category. There is still growth, but the growth is at a slower rate. The category is still a huge area of focus and visitation and engagement are near record high levels. Analysis from the Retail Category The Retail category has also been a particular focus as bricks and mortar shopping has significantly changed, and in some places closed where they are deemed non-essential. Overall, the Retail category has seen a pretty flat line of growth in Unique Visitors, Visits, and Minutes. That being said, we have seen some sub-categories show growth that is greatly over-indexing. This growth in the Retail category is being driven by these subcategories: Toys, Books, Apparel, Sports/Outdoor, Department Stores/Malls. Toys is leading the charge with a 27% week-over-week growth in Unique Visitors. Analysis from Sports and Real Estate Categories The Sports and Real Estate categories have been two of several categories hit by major decreases in visitation and engagement during the COVID-19 pandemic in Canada. With live sports on hold for most of the major sports leagues in North America – there has been a decline across the board. That being said, during the week of March 23, 2020 to March 29, 2020 for the first time since our COVID-19 analysis began we have seen a decrease in the rate of decline in Visitation, and an in fact an increase in week-over-week Minutes. In terms of the Real Estate category, we have seen small week-over-week decreases with -3% in Unique Visitors, -7% in Visits, and -6% in Minutes – compared to the double-digit declines in the past few weeks. Insights from Other Categories of Interest There were a few other categories that hit our radar this week when looking at the data. These categories have seen week-over-week increases – that show Canadians are increasing Visitation and Engagement with this content. Many of these categories reflect the reality that people are isolated at home – with either kids (whom they must entertain and educate) or without kids or a partner – and they are looking to meet new people (Dating). The Pets category showed big increases, and Lifestyle – Food showed increases in activity. Canadians are apparently focused on love, kids, pets, and their tummies!
Are Home Prices in Peril? FAU Expert Says Coronavirus Stimulus May Hold the Key
The United States housing market faces its biggest threat in more than a decade, and whether home prices can withstand the new coronavirus pandemic largely depends on an effective stimulus package, said Ken H. Johnson, Ph.D., a real estate economist in Florida Atlantic University’s College of Business. U.S. President Donald Trump recently signed a historic $2 trillion stimulus to boost a battered U.S. economy, and getting the aid exactly right is the key to avoiding the first sustained setback to home prices since the end of the housing boom in 2006, according to Johnson. “If the stimulus package ends up being more than we need, this will almost certainly trigger a non-trivial amount of inflation in the economy, which will increase mortgage rates, which, in turn, will place downward pressure on housing prices,” Johnson said. “If the stimulus is not sufficient enough to hold down unemployment and it increases the likelihood of mortgage default, mortgage rates will rise and put downward pressure on housing prices. Only if the stimulus is just right will increasing inflation and higher unemployment be held in check.” Fixed rates for 30-year mortgages rose from 3.29 percent on March 5 to 3.65 percent on March 19, before moving down to 3.5 percent last week as the stimulus gained momentum. The higher rates are an indication that investors are factoring in inflation and the higher likelihood of default, though the recent downward trend suggests that it was the threat of rising default probabilities that was having the bigger impact on mortgage rates, according to Johnson. Since bottoming in March 2012, U.S. home prices rose 61 percent over the next seven and a half years, according to the S&P/Case-Shiller 20-City Composite Home Price Index. The nation’s housing market rebounded from a devastating downturn when investors started renovating and reselling properties after buying them at deep discounts. The market has been robust ever since, but Zillow Group recently suspended its home-buying program as a result of the pandemic and how it may affect the housing market. The move means Zillow is worried that housing prices are at risk, according to Johnson. If mortgage rates were to climb from 3.5 percent to 5 percent, it would result in a 43 percent increase in the interest portion of a housing payment, dramatically reducing the purchasing power for consumers. “Only time will tell here,” Johnson said. “We are in uncharted waters, making it difficult to tell when and if we got the stimulus package right.” If you are a journalist covering how real estate and property values are being impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic – then let our experts help. Ken Johnson is the associate dean and Investments Limited professor in the College of Business at Florida Atlantic University. Ken is available to speak to media about this topic – simply click on his icon to arrange an interview and time.
Professor Barry Branch, Ledbetter Professor of the Practice at Scheller College of Business was a featured author in the article “National Rent Report for January 2020 Shows Growing Number of Renters” in the online magazine RENTCafe. Branch discussesd national trends that are leading more young people to rent rather than purchase a single-family home. “Young professionals are increasingly attracted to multifamily projects near their jobs. These buildings are attractive if they offer cutting edge technology that enables residents to work from home; attractive amenities that provide a healthy lifestyle and greater interaction with others; proximity to a variety of retail, food and entertainment attractions as well as public greenspaces; a significant reduction in their reliance on automobiles and access to public transportation; and greater flexibility to adjust to job changes and changes in their personal circumstances,” he said. In the piece he acknowledges the stable economy but notes that increased uncertainty in national, political, and economic environments may lead many people to resist the commitment to purchase a home. However, Branch points to the possibility that a larger demand for rental units may provide less inventory and therefore, an increase in rent prices. He states that “an offsetting factor among renters is the current trend towards rapidly increasing rental rates in many markets, which threatens their ability to manage their cost of living.” To offset these adverse factors, he cites low-interest rates that will incentivize developers to build more units and government programs for creating affordable housing as just a few factors that will continue to keep the rental market thriving. Are you a journalist looking to know more about this topic? Then let our experts help. Barry Branch is Sr. Professor of the Practice of Real Estate Development at Scheller College of Business, Georgia Institute of Technology. He is co-founder of The Branch-Shelton Company, LLC, a private investment management and financial advisory firm. Barry is available to speak with media regarding this important topic – simply click on his icon to arrange an interview.
Make Your Expert Profile Stand Out!
Successful organizations know that leveraging their leadership and subject matter experts is important to driving visibility and value for the organization. Most About Us pages and corporate bios fail miserably in their goal of engaging key audiences – and they are often very out of date. Based on our years of working with corporate, professional services clients, academic and healthcare institutions and others, we’ve put together the “Top 5 Tips for Creating a Winning Expert Profile”. By following these simple tips we’re confident you’ll be well on your way to driving better conversations with prospective customers, media, analysts, conference organizers and others. We hope these tips provide you the starting point for better showcasing your people. Tip #1: BE VISUAL Your Headshot Creates a Human Connection Profiles with photos get 14x more views (according to research from LinkedIn). A good head shot humanizes your profile and helps establish trust. Make sure to invest in some professional headshots. Avoid busy backgrounds and lose the props unless they are relevant. Tip #2: BE SEARCHABLE Choose Topics to Help You Get Discovered Pay very close attention to which topics you list on your profile as they help determine search results. Find the right balance between general and specialized terms. For example “tax inversion” is a specialized accounting term. But “offshore tax”, “tax havens’”; and “corporate tax planning” or geographic tags related to specific tax havens such as “Bermuda” are more likely search terms used by various audiences looking for a tax expert. Tip #3: BE APPROACHABLE Create a Tagline that Draws People In Your professional headline (tagline) and biography must create and sustain attention. Don’t misuse this prime real estate to simply restate your current job title. Focus on your value proposition to advertise what you’re trained in and summarize the experience you have. Keep it concise using relevant keywords. Here’s an example of a powerful headline for an accomplished expert: “15 Years Experience in Commercial Real Estate | Author | Adjunct Business Professor | Keynote Speaker | TV & Radio Guest | Architectural Enthusiast.” Tip #4: BE DESCRIPTIVE Focus Your Biography on Accomplishments Keep your biography clear, descriptive and up to date. Describe your responsibilities in concise statements led by strong verbs. Incorporate industry specific keywords and topics. Whenever possible, quantify your accomplishments and responsibilities with numbers or percentages. Don’t forget to mention international experience and any special awards or recognition you received. Remember it’s not your life story or a chronology of all your work experience. Leave that for your resume. Tip #5: BE ENGAGING Multimedia Helps Prove Your Expertise Journalists and conference organizers will often avoid profiles that don’t have multimedia as they need to see how well you present your ideas in front of an audience. Videos, photos and audio of podcasts or interviews provide quick validation of your ability to communicate your ideas. If you’re an author upload a thumbnail of your book. Upload clips of your speaking sessions. Did you appear on TV? License a copy of the interview or upload a screenshot of the broadcast.
Dubious loan origination and the housing collapse
Gonzalo Maturana, assistant professor of finance, and coauthor John M. Griffin (U of Texas) argue that securitization was not the only factor in the recent housing crisis. Their new research indicates that questionable mortgage origination practices played a significant role in the distortions in the 2003 to 2012 real estate boom and bust. Specifically, the underreporting of the true risk profiles of borrowers, including the misreporting of second-liens, helped to drive housing demand and, ultimately, contributed to the crisis. They note, “The process of underreporting key loan attributes can have the by-product of facilitating credit to borrowers who have little ability to repay.” The researchers tested their theory by using county deed records, securitized loan information, house price statistics, and home loan application data from a number of reliable sources to detail the 2003 to 2006 run-up of housing prices and its subsequent 2007 to 2012 collapse. After controlling for securitization, they determined that “originator malfeasance” in certain areas also served to raise the credit supply. Maturana and Griffin concluded that dubious originator practices helped to cause house prices in certain zip codes to increase relative to other areas and eventually led to larger price crashes. Source:
In his letter to Kim Jong Un and related statements, President Trump made not-so-veiled threats regarding U.S. military capabilities. Thus, many are asking: Is the Trump Administration, staffed with former military officers in prominent cabinet positions, chomping at the bit to unleash America’s military might? International security scholar Peter Campbell, Ph.D., is watching the situation. “Trump's cancellation gives both sides opportunity to claim that they pursued all diplomatic means. The conflict now enters a more dangerous phase because an opportunity to step back from the brink has been lost and diplomatic efforts have been somewhat discredited,” he said. “Trump’s comments regarding superior U.S. nuclear capability might be interpreted as a precursor to escalation, although the letter's tone was much less inflammatory than his earlier rhetoric.” Campbell said history – and, ironically, Trump’s staff of former U.S. military leaders in key positions – sides with those who prefer diplomacy over force. “The prominent role of former military officers has caused some to worry that the Administration is anxious to go to battle. This idea is problematic because it does not take into account that U.S. military leaders have often been more hesitant than their civilian superiors to use force,” he said. “As former Secretary of Defense Robert Gates wrote of his Cold War experiences under Presidents Reagan and George H. W. Bush: ‘In more than 20 years of attending meetings in the Situation Room, my experience was that the biggest doves in Washington wear uniforms.’ This makes sense because military officers often have an intimate understanding of how the decision to use force leads to major uncertainty and is plagued with often insurmountable friction and the fog of war. Gates observed: ‘Our military leaders have seen too many half-baked ideas for the use of military force advanced in the Situation Room by hairy-chested civilians who have never seen combat or fired a gun in anger.’ Thus, the fact that Trump has former military officers in his inner circle should decrease, rather than increase, fears of an ill-conceived use of military force to resolve this crisis. Secretary of Defense James Mattis made explicit mention of the key role diplomats are playing in the unfolding crisis. Numerous commentators have pointed out the immense influence that Mattis has in the current administration. This should calm rather than incite fears of a military solution." Source:
What are the pros and cons of landing Amazon HQ2?
Thursday Atlanta appeared on the shortlist for Amazon's second corporate headquarters. What would that mean for the city? Two Goizueta experts break down the finance and the real estate angles. Source:
What is a REIT? Why does it Matter?
Real estate is booming in Atlanta and now, it appears, there's more interest from the Northeast. What is a REIT? Why is this important? Goizueta Business School's Roy Black lead's the school's renowned real estate focus and can make sense of it all. Source:
Another Big Short or Better Off? 10 Years Later – Is there Another Financial Crisis Looming?
It was 10 years ago Wednesday that the world changed for just about everyone. It was on that afternoon when BNP Paribas announced it was ceasing activity in three hedge funds that specialized in U.S. mortgage debt. BNP Paribas was the first major bank to acknowledge the risk of exposure to the sub-prime mortgage market, and many look back at those days as the start of the worst financial crisis in American history since the stock market crashed in 1929. For a decade, America has been in a state of recovery. It took trillions of dollars in stimulus and bail outs. The real estate market almost collapsed on itself and millions were left unemployed. Some are still incapable of finding work and income that matched what they made back then. On the outside, America seems to be in complete recovery. Housing prices have bounced back, the DOW is soaring and unemployment rests at just 5.1 percent. However, some are skeptical. Americans are borrowing again at record rates. Credit is once again being offered abundantly and as people spend again – risk is climbing. Add in China’s shaky economy and there’s also talk of a double-bubble bursting. Understanding finance and economics is no easy task. It takes global understanding, a keen eye on micro and macroeconomics and sometimes a crystal ball. But on Wednesday, many people will remember exactly what they were doing when America’s economy tanked. So where are we now? Have we learned our lesson or are we doomed to repeat ourselves? Have the reforms on Wall Street worked or can the actions of a few big banks still derail one of the strongest financial engines in the world? None of these are easy questions to answer or explain. But experts from Missouri State University can help. Dr. David Mitchell is a Professor of Economics and Director of the Bureau of Economic Research at Missouri State. He is also an expert at economic forecasting and understanding market trends and direction. Dr. Mitchell can speak to the anniversary of the financial crisis and what may lie ahead for America’s economy. Click on his icon to arrange an interview. Source:
