A Market Shake-Up in 2025 The first quarter of 2025 has upended long-standing market trends, sending shockwaves through global economies. The once-dominant U.S. stock market has stumbled. The S&P 500 tumbled 4.6%, its worst performance since 2022, while European stocks soared. The Stoxx 600 outperformed the
Artificial intelligence (AI) is advancing at an unprecedented pace, but behind the scenes, a crucial factor is emerging energy. To power AI’s growing demand, Abu Dhabi’s sovereign wealth fund ADQ has launched a $25 billion partnership with U.S.-based Energy Capital Partners. This investment will develop 25
When the world’s largest retailer signals caution, the global economy pays attention. Walmart’s latest forecast projects only 3-4% sales growth for the year, a sharp decline from last year’s 5.1% growth. The impact was immediate: Walmart’s stock dropped 6%, the Dow Jones fell 1%, and
A shift is happening in consumer behavior, and the numbers don’t lie. Shoppers are tightening their wallets, cutting back on non-essentials, and prioritizing value like never before. Apparel spending is down 12% year-over-year, luxury in-store purchases have dropped 9.3%, and even grocery shopping patterns are shifting consumers are
Apple TV+ is projected to lose $1-2 billion annually, yet the tech giant continues to invest $5+ billion per year in premium content. With 45 million subscribers and capturing less than 1% of monthly TV viewership, Apple TV+ appears to be trailing behind streaming titans like Netflix (260M+ subscribers) and
February’s retail sales report may suggest a slowdown, with sales increasing by just 0.2%—well below the expected 0.6%. January’s numbers were even more concerning, showing a 1.2% decline, the sharpest drop in over three years. However, these figures do not indicate that consumers are
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The e-commerce boom has permanently reshaped consumer expectations around delivery speed, convenience and sustainability. As online shopping becomes the norm across categories, brands are racing to future-proof their last-mile logistics strategies. Failure to provide affordable, rapid fulfilment and sustainable delivery options risks customer churn and brand erosion. Our latest global
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Amid the increasing fracturing of traditional media channels, declining trust in institutions and advertising, and the deprecation of third-party data, brands are at an inflexion point for establishing relevance and direct relationships with consumers globally. In our latest global market study surveying over 15,000 consumers across nearly 20 countries,
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For decades, the standard narrative around emerging markets framed consumers in these regions as cost-conscious and primarily driven by economic necessity when making purchases. However, research from Rwazi's on-the-ground consumer intelligence networks reveals surprising data disproving this simplistic assumption. Through ethnographic studies, digital anthropologies and hyper-local surveys conducted
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The metaverse may seem like a far-off futuristic concept, but understanding this convergence of physical and virtual worlds is quickly becoming necessary for leading consumer brands. With projections that metaverse experiences could unlock $800 billion in commerce by 2024, the need for robust consumer insights around this channel is only
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Over the past half-decade, contingency after contingency has mercilessly exposed the fragility within modern global supply chains. Trade disputes, pandemics, forced labour controversies, environmental disasters, geopolitical conflicts – each crisis has progressively exacerbated the brittleness plaguing enterprise resource flows. While disruptions are inevitable, the COVID-19 pandemic served as a prolonged real-time
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In many corners of the Western world, the unrivalled digital utility of apps like Google, Facebook and Amazon has been taken for granted. But across Southeast Asia and other high-growth markets, a burgeoning new category of all-in-one "super app" platforms has rapidly rearranged consumer behaviour and commercial battlegrounds.