Technology
See How the Internet of Things Will Change Your Life
See How the Internet of Things Will Change Your Life
The dawn of the Internet of Things (IoT) era is already upon us, but for many people there is a chance that the future impact of the IoT is still pretty unclear.
What is the scale of this technological shift, and how exactly will our day-to-day lives be changed by more everyday devices being connected to the web?
Today’s infographic puts the scale of the IoT into a dazzling sense of perspective. Here’s the dramatic shift in devices connected to the web from 1990 until today:
- In 1990, there were over 300,000 desktop computers connected to the internet.
- In 2000, there were over 300 million desktops connected to the internet.
- In 2016, there are now over 2 billion mobile phones connected to the internet.
And here’s what to expect after just a few more years! By 2020…
- There will be 13 billion kettles, fridges, TVs, thermostats, security cameras, lights, smoke detectors and other things in your home connected to the internet.
- There will be 3.5 billion navigation systems, in-car entertainment systems, and other things in vehicles connected to the internet.
- There will be 411 million wrist bands, shoes, glasses, watches, sports socks, clothing, and other wearable things connected to the internet.
- There will be 646 million heart rate monitors, body implants, pill bottles, blood pressure monitors, skin patches, and other things in the hospital connected to the internet.
- There will be 9.7 buildings, street lights, traffic lights, water pipes, parking meters, pollution monitors, and other things in the city connected to the internet.
What does this mean?
It means that in just a few years, it is likely true that: your house’s heating will turn when you start to head home, traffic lights will adjust to the flow of traffic, empty parking spaces will communicate with your car, your kettle can be ready as you walk in the door, your fridge will order milk for you when you are running low, and your pill bottle may message you when a dose is accidentally missed.
Original graphic by: RS Components
Markets
Charted: What are Retail Investors Interested in Buying in 2023?
What key themes and strategies are retail investors looking at for the rest of 2023? Preview: AI is a popular choice.
Charted: Retail Investors’ Top Picks for 2023
U.S. retail investors, enticed by a brief pause in the interest rate cycle, came roaring back in the early summer. But what are their investment priorities for the second half of 2023?
We visualized the data from Public’s 2023 Retail Investor Report, which surveyed 1,005 retail investors on their platform, asking “which investment strategy or themes are you interested in as part of your overall investment strategy?”
Survey respondents ticked all the options that applied to them, thus their response percentages do not sum to 100%.
Where Are Retail Investors Putting Their Money?
By far the most popular strategy for retail investors is dividend investing with 50% of the respondents selecting it as something they’re interested in.
Dividends can help supplement incomes and come with tax benefits (especially for lower income investors or if the dividend is paid out into a tax-deferred account), and can be a popular choice during more inflationary times.
| Investment Strategy | Percent of Respondents |
|---|---|
| Dividend Investing | 50% |
| Artificial Intelligence | 36% |
| Total Stock Market Index | 36% |
| Renewable Energy | 33% |
| Big Tech | 31% |
| Treasuries (T-Bills) | 31% |
| Electric Vehicles | 27% |
| Large Cap | 26% |
| Small Cap | 24% |
| Emerging Markets | 23% |
| Real Estate | 23% |
| Gold & Precious Metals | 23% |
| Mid Cap | 19% |
| Inflation Protection | 13% |
| Commodities | 12% |
Meanwhile, the hype around AI hasn’t faded, with 36% of the respondents saying they’d be interested in investing in the theme—including juggernaut chipmaker Nvidia. This is tied for second place with Total Stock Market Index investing.
Treasury Bills (30%) represent the safety anchoring of the portfolio but the ongoing climate crisis is also on investors’ minds with Renewable Energy (33%) and EVs (27%) scoring fairly high on the interest list.
Commodities and Inflation-Protection stocks on the other hand have fallen out of favor.
Come on Barbie, Let’s Go Party…
Another interesting takeaway pulled from the survey is how conversations about prevailing companies—or the buzz around them—are influencing trades. The platform found that public investors in Mattel increased 6.6 times after the success of the ‘Barbie’ movie.
Bud Light also saw a 1.5x increase in retail investors, despite receiving negative attention from their fans after the company did a beer promotion campaign with trans influencer Dylan Mulvaney.
Given the origin story of a large chunk of American retail investors revolves around GameStop and AMC, these insights aren’t new, but they do reveal a persisting trend.
-
Oil and Gas2 weeks agoCharted: The World’s Biggest Oil Producers
-
Markets22 hours agoWill the U.S. Get Hit With a Recession in 2024?
-
Energy3 weeks agoWhat Electricity Sources Power the World?
-
Space2 weeks agoWhich Companies Own the Most Satellites?
-
Markets3 weeks agoThe 25 Worst Stocks by Shareholder Wealth Losses (1926-2022)
-
Mining1 week ago200 Years of Global Gold Production, by Country
-
Technology3 weeks agoVisualizing Google’s Search Engine Market Share
-
United States1 week agoMapped: How Much Does it Take to be the Top 1% in Each U.S. State?