Andrew Little and Pedro Palandrani, Analysts with Global X Research
Electric Vehicles
CO2 emissions standards could rev EVs
Stricter carbon emission standards in Europe could help electric vehicles take a bigger share of the total car market. The CO2 emission target for new cars is now 95g CO2/Km, down from the average level of 120.4 g CO2/Km in 2018.1 At least 95% of new cars need to comply with this standard. If car manufacturers do not comply, they must pay a fine of €95 for each gram that exceeds the target, multiplied by the total number of cars they sell. For example, if a car manufacturer registers 1 million new vehicles that exceed the emission target by 5g CO2/Km, the fine would be a lofty €475 million. The EU began setting mandatory emission reduction targets for new cars in 2009.
IoT
Making your smart home smarter
Smart home product developers, including Amazon, Apple, and Google, among others, announced plans to develop and encourage a royalty-free connectivity standard called Project Connected Home over IP.2 The initiative seeks to enable compatibility between smart devices while keeping user data secure—a feature that consumers increasingly demand. For consumers, this initiative means communication between smart assistants, mobile apps and cloud services that may not be produced or provided by the same companies. For manufacturers, this means more seamless and less-nuanced production. Those involved hope additional manufacturers, silicon providers, and smart join the effort for more widespread adoption.
Cannabis
Another state gives cannabis the A-ok
On January 1, 2020, Illinois became the 11th state to legalize recreational cannabis. On the first day of legalization, the state saw nearly $3.2M of product sales across 77k transactions.3 Societal acceptance of cannabis continues to increase, and with that comes movements to remove old stigmas associated with the drug. One day before legal sales of recreational cannabis began in Illinois, Governor J.B. Pritzker announced that the state cleared the records of 11,000 people previously convicted of cannabis-related crimes.4Support for recreational cannabis legalization is high, and more states are set to vote on legalization in 2020, including Arizona, Florida, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York and Vermont. Those states, with an aggregated population of approximately 47 million people, could represent a huge new untapped market.
e-Sports
No more games: e-sports hit the public markets
On December 9, 2019, Astralis IPO’d on Nasdaq’s small-company Copenhagen exchange, becoming the world’s first e-sports team to IPO. Denmark-based Astralis is the number one ranked team in online, first-person shooter game Counterstrike: Global Offensive. It boasts sponsorships with major companies, such as carmaker Audi and computer peripherals manufacturer Logitech. In recent months, Astralis reclassified as a media company and expanded into games, including League of Legends and FIFA.5 Astralis CEO Nikolaj Nyholm noted that while venture capital funding can help teams secure spots in e-sports leagues, public market capital raising provides greater flexibility and allows founders to hold onto their shares.6
Artificial Intelligence
Volcanoes bursting with data
Approximately 800 million people live within the blast zones of the world’s 1,500 potentially active volcanoes. Many of these volcanoes are not monitored consistently.7 The lack of surveillance and data has researchers turning to artificial intelligence (AI) to help. Researchers at the University of Leeds found that they could use satellites to produce measurements of ground deformation, and then leverage AI to identify and signal volcanic unrest. AI to predict geological events could be a game changer for those in harm’s way, and lead to new economies based on preparedness and potential fallout.
Genomics
Attacking anxiety with science
A recent Brigham and Women’s Hospital study identified activity in more than 209 genes across three anxiety levels.8 Researchers put genetically-normal mice through several behavioral tests and identified those that performed least consistently. Researchers then used computational modeling and RNA sequencing to categorize the mice based on their genetics and behaviors. Among the genes found to be anxiety-related were ones associated with learning and memory, hormonal expression, and reproduction. Next steps include homing in on which of the identified genes are addressable via pharmaceuticals.9
U.S. Infrastructure
Higher ground needed in the Keys
Residents of the Florida Keys may face some difficult choices in coming years due to climate change, including whether to relocate. Officials released the results of a multi-year study that estimates how much additional elevation roads will need to stay above water in the coming years. The study found that the capital needed is beyond what taxpayers could pay and that many roads will likely be abandoned. In one example, a three-mile strip of road would need an additional 2.2 feet of elevation to stay above water until 2045, at a cost of $128 million.10 Officials mentioned ferries and water taxis as new means of transport for Keys residents, though finding new sources of funding or cheaper ways to raise the roads remain possibilities.11
THE NUMBERS
The following chart examines returns and sales growth expectations by theme, based on their corresponding ETFs.
Reference Shelf:
1. European Commission, “Reducing CO2 emissions from passenger cars,” accessed on 01/02/2020.
2. Apple, “Project Connected Home over IP Intends to Simplify Development for Device Manufacturers and Increase Compatibility for Consumers,” Dec 18, 2019.
3. Time, “Illinois Rakes in Nearly $3.2 Million in Recreational Marijuana Revenue on First Day of Legal Sales,” Jan 5, 2020.
4. Leafly,” Illinois dispensaries open for recreational sales: Leafly’s live coverage,” Jan 1, 2020.
5. Bloomberg, “Counter-Strike World Champions Aim for First Esport Team IPO,” Nov 29, 2019.
6. Barrons, “The World’s First IPO for a Competitive Videogame Team Is Today. It’ll Be a Crucial Test for E-Sports,” Dec 9, 2019.
7. USGS, “How many active volcanoes are there on Earth?,” accessed on 01/02/2020.
8. Translational Psychiatry, “A computationally inspired in-vivo approach identifies a link between amygdalar transcriptional heterogeneity, socialization and anxiety,” Dec 9, 2019.
9. Technology Networks, “Revealing Anxiety at the Molecular Level,” Dec 19, 2019.
10. New York Times, “Florida Keys Deliver a Hard Message: As Seas Rise, Some Places Can’t Be Saved,” Dec 5, 2019.
11. Ibid.
This article first appeared on January 10 on the Global X research blog.
Photo Credit: Gamaliel Cabana via Flickr Creative Commons
