Money Buzz! Europa

Category: Cover

  • European Union to buy another 100 million doses of the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine

    European Union to buy another 100 million doses of the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine

    European Union new agreement with Pfizer and BioNTech could double coronavirus vaccine stocks, Bloomberg reports.

    According to Bloomberg sources, the new contract would include 100 million doses of the vaccine as well as an option for another 200 million doses.

    EU steps to secure new doses vaccine come a week after the European Commission decided to exercise its option to buy an additional 100 million doses of the coronavirus vaccine developed by Pfizer and BioNTech.

    The European Commission has already ordered 200 million doses of this vaccine.

    In total, the EU has signed agreements for 1.3 billion doses of vaccine with Pfizer / BioNTech, Moderna, Johnson & Johnson, AstraZeneca / Oxford, Sanofi / GSK and CureVac, with options to purchase another 660 million doses.

  • More than half of Romanians are scared, worried and anxious about the 2020 holidays

    More than half of Romanians are scared, worried and anxious about the 2020 holidays

    Asked how they intend to spend their holidays this year, 85% of Romanians said they would stay home. Only 16% of the respondents stated that they intend to visit the family who lives in the same city and only 4% state that they would visit their relatives outside the city.

    22% of young professionals and 21% of traditional families are among those who are willing to leave their homes on holidays.

    In addition, only 5% of the respondents stated that they intend to visit friends in the same city during holidays.

    The lowest percentage is observed in the case of those willing to travel outside the country for the holidays: only 1% of Romanians chose this option.

    Concern and fear: Romanians’ main emotions towards the 2020 winter holidays

    The study measured Romanians’ emotions regarding the 2020 winter holidays, looking at four categories of emotions grouped as follows: fear / anger, fatigue / boredom, optimism / joy, calm / relaxation.

    The results show that the highest percentage is recorded in the area of ​​negative emotions such as fear / anger and fatigue / boredom.

    More than half of Romanians (56%) say that this year they feel negative emotions when it comes to the winter holidays in the current context.

    Over a third (33%) of respondents say they feel nervous, worried, anxious or scared when thinking about the holidays in 2020. 12% of Romanians say they feel worried, and among the analyzed segments, retired seniors experience this emotion to the largest extent – 17%.

    Almost a quarter of respondents (23%) say they currently feel disappointment, sadness or fatigue. In this area, 12% of respondents say they are disappointed with this year’s holidays.

    In terms of positive emotions, 44% of Romanians say they feel optimistic, calm or relaxed.

    29% of single adults, followed by 24% of modern families are the most optimistic, compared to the rest of the segments, when asked to assess their feelings about the 2020 holidays.

    What gifts do Romanians want this year?

    In terms of gifts, Romanians would like to receive gadgets the most. According to Reveal Marketing Research data, over 40% of Romanians prefer to find smartphones, tablets, laptops or smartwatches under the Christmas tree.

    We notice a difference between women and men in this regard, women prefer gadgets to a greater extent than men: 45%, compared to 36% of men with this option.

    These percentages are interesting because, in general, men were the ones who were most attracted to technology. Today, we notice the dynamics are starting to change.

    Compared to the rest of the segments, young people are most eager to receive gadgets: single millennials and young professionals have equally selected this option (51% – for each segment).

    Over a quarter of respondents (26%) would like to receive Christmas clothes, and among the analyzed segments, those who prefer these gifts the most are traditional families (32%).

    Single millennials, as we’ve mentioned, are big fans of gadgets, so in terms of clothing, only 16% of them said they prefer to receive holiday clothes.

    Reveal Marketing Research data shows that jewelry is also on the gift list of Romanians, with 25% of Romanians who have selected this option when asked what they would prefer to receive for holidays.

    Then, 21% of all respondents opted for perfume as a Christmas gift. Among the analyzed segments, the most eager to receive a perfume are young professionals, scoring a percentage of 45% for this option.

    Among Christmas gifts, an equally popular option is health. 1 in 4 Romanians wishes to be healthy and does not think about material holiday gifts.

    Moreover, the context of COVID-19 may be an additional reason for respondents to be more concerned about their health. Retired seniors, followed by traditional families, mostly opted for this option when asked what they want for the holidays – 30% and 28%, respectively.

    On the other hand, only 5% of Romanians would like to receive money as a Christmas gift.

  • Brits are spending £64 million more on pets than partners for Christmas

    Brits are spending £64 million more on pets than partners for Christmas

    In 2019, it was reported that more than £6.5 billion was spent on pet related products in the UK, and data from OnBuy suggests that more than £2 billion of that would have been Christmas related gifts.

    OnBuy’s survey revealed that 74% of pet owners wrap up their presents for their furry family members to open up on Christmas day.

    Toys seem to be the most popular of gifted presents bought for pets, with 53% spending most of their pet present budget on toys.

    This was followed closely by treats (42%). Collars were the least popular presents for Brits to purchase for their pets at just 3%.

    Brits to spend more on their pets than their partners

    OnBuy calculated that Brits are set to spend more than 64 million pounds on their pets than their partners.

    In 2019 27% of Brits spent an average of £75 on their partners for the festive period. For 2020, that number has dropped to 24% of Brits intending to spend that amount on their partners.

    It seems Brits are more willing to spend £75 on partners than pets, as only 14% of Brits intend to spend that same amount on their pets.

    In 2019, 13% of Brits reported that they spent more than £100 on their partners. For 2020, the figure has dropped to just 9% planning to spend more than £100.

    However, in 2019, only 5% of Brits were reported to have spent £100 or more on their pets. For 2020, 11% of Brits intend to spend £100 or more on their family pets.

  • 59.5 million postcards were printed in the EU last year

    59.5 million postcards were printed in the EU last year

    This amount has been relatively stable since 2017, after substantial falls in the previous years. However, it fell by 41% compared to 2009, Eurostat reports.

    In 2019, more than two thirds of the postcards were printed in only three countries: Sweden (14.5 million; 24% of all postcards printed in the EU), Germany (13.9 million; 23%) and Spain (11.8 million; 20%).

    Decrease in the number of people working in postal and courier services

    In the EU, 1.5 million people, aged 15 or over, were employed in postal services in 2019. This is a 7% decrease compared to 2009.

    ”Postal services” include postal and courier activities, such as the pickup, transport and delivery of letters and parcels.

    Among those employed, 0.9 million were men, representing 58% of the total workers of this sector.

    In 2019, at EU level, on average 40 people per 10 000 inhabitants were working in the postal services sector. This is a decrease of 8% from 2009 (43 people per 10 000 inhabitants).

  • Austria: Number of naturalisations decreased by 16.7% this year

    Austria: Number of naturalisations decreased by 16.7% this year

    6.336 persons acquired Austrian citizenship in the period January to September 2020, according to Statistics Austria.

    The number of naturalisations decreased by 16.7% compared to the first nine months of 2019 (7.610 naturalisations).

    Females accounted for 54.5% of all naturalisations, children and juveniles up to 18 years of age for 33.2%. Over a third of the new citizens had already been born in Austria (35.4%).

    In the first three quarters of 2020, the largest groups of naturalised people were former citizens of Bosnia and Herzegovina (700), Serbia (690), Turkey (566), Kosovo (349), the Russian Federation (269), Islamic Republic Iran (268), Romania (225) and Afghanistan (212).

    More than half (51.8%) of all naturalised persons held citizenship of one of these eight countries before being naturalised.

  • Polish women have an average of 17 pairs of shoes. Poles have 7

    Polish women have an average of 17 pairs of shoes. Poles have 7

    Polish women have an average of 17 pairs of shoes, and Poles 7 pairs, a CCC report shows. Women have an average of 3 pairs of high heels, most often black and beige.

    On the other hand, Poles prefer everyday shoes, all-year-round, often sports shoes.

    2/3 of them declare that they have at least one pair of casual sports shoes and those intended for sports.

    Women most often choose black or beige high heels (75% and 31% respectively), while red is only in third place.

    Poles prefer black shoes, white (especially in sports models), beige and brown (among low shoes) are also popular.

    More than half of Polish men and women have sneakers (53%) and shoes for active sports (as much as 63%) in their wardrobes.

    In turn, the most frequently worn footwear in the 18-45 age group is everyday sneakers.

    According to the study, 2/3 of women buy shoes in sizes 37-39, and 2/3 of men wear sizes 42-44.

  • Ad revenue tops $63 Billion for tech big three in Q3 2020

    Ad revenue tops $63 Billion for tech big three in Q3 2020

    According to their earnings reports, Google, Facebook and Youtube generated a cumulative $63.3 billion in ad revenue in Q3 2020. 

    Global ad spend surged during the quarter as well, increasing by 56.4% according to Social Bakers.

    Based on the research data analyzed and published by Comprar Acciones, Google’s total revenue for Q3 2020 was $46.2 billion while its ad revenue totaled $37.09 billion, up from $33.79 billion in Q3 2019.

    YouTube’s ad revenue was $5.04 billion, up from $3.80 billion in Q3 2019, an increase of 32%. According to Statista, YouTube’s ad revenue went from $4.72 billion in Q4 2019 to $4.04 billion in Q1 2020. It slumped further to $3.81 billion in Q2 2020.

    Facebook’s revenue for Q3 2020 was $21.5 billion, up by 22% year-over-year (YoY). From this amount, ad spend was $21.2 billion, nearly 99% of the total. It had increased from $17.4 billion in Q3 2019.

    In total, the three tech giants generated $63.3 billion in ad revenue in Q3 2020.

    On the other hand, for Amazon, its total revenue in Q3 2020 was $96.1 billion, up by 37% YoY. From this amount, ad revenue was $5.4 billion, up by 51% YoY.

    Comparatively, ad-driven Twitter, Snap and Pinterest raked in slightly less than $2 billion.

    According to a Zenith report, global ad expenditure will decline by 9% in 2020. However, in 2021, it will recover, posting a 5.8% gain thanks to the Tokyo Summer Olympics. Also, digital ads will contribute an estimated 51% to global ad spend in 2020 based on the report.

    Another study made by IAB states that digital ad spend will grow by 6% in 2020 while traditional ad spend will drop by 30%. Paid search will grow the fastest, at 26%, and social media ad spend will increase by 25%. Digital video will soar by 18% and digital display by 15%.

  • COVID-19 wipes over US$13 trillion off top nation brand values

    COVID-19 wipes over US$13 trillion off top nation brand values

    The top 100 most valuable nation brands in the world have suffered a monumental loss to their brand value because of the COVID-19 pandemic, amounting to US$13.1 trillion, according to the latest report by Brand Finance.

    The US and China remain a cut above the rest, claiming first and second position in this year’s ranking, recording brand values of US$23.7 trillion and US$18.8 trillion respectively.

    Long-standing leader the US, has recorded a 14% brand value loss to US$23.7 trillion, following yet another turbulent year.

    Unlike the US, China’s brand value has managed to remain largely stable, recording only a modest 4% drop this year.

    Japan has fared relatively better than its counterparts, recording a modest 6% brand value loss to US$4.3 trillion, and inching up to claim third spot in the ranking.

    Germany stands in the fourth place, with a brand value of $3,813 bn, down -21.5% y-o-y. The UK has retained fifth position, following a 14% brand value decrease to US$3.3 trillion.

    Ireland has bucked the negative trend this year as the only nation brand in the top 20 to record a positive brand value growth, up 11% to US$670 billion.

    Vietnam is the fastest-growing nation brand in this year’s ranking, its brand value skyrocketing 29% to US$319 billion.

    How CEE countries rank in Nation Brands 2020

    Poland is the most valuable nation brand in the CEE, ranking 22.

    Austria ranks on the 26th place, Czechia on 34, Romania 49, Hungary 50, Greece 54, Slovakia 56, Slovenia 59, Bulgaria 66, Lithuania 71, Serbia 74, Croatia 76, Latvia 80, Estonia 82.

  • Ten world’s richest royal families control wealth of over $2.4 trillion

    Ten world’s richest royal families control wealth of over $2.4 trillion

    Data presented by Buy Shares indicates that the top ten global royal families control a fortune of $2.45 trillion. The wealth is as of Q3 2020.

    Saudi Arabia’s House of Saud is the wealthiest royal family with a fortune of $1.4 trillion. Kuwait’s House of Al Sabah ranks second with a wealth of $360 billion followed by the House of Al Thani from Qatar with a fortune of $335 billion.

    Elsewhere, the Al Nahyan family from the UAE controls a fortune of $150 billion while the British Royal Family closes the top five categories with a fortune of $88 billion.

    Other wealthy families include Thailand’s Chakri dynasty ($60 billion),  Brunei’s House of Bolkiah ($28 billion) UAE’s Al Maktoum family ($18 billion), Morocco’s Alaouite dynasty ($8.2 billion), and Liechtenstein’s House of Liechtenstein ($4.4 billion).

    Top ten richest royal family members

    The research also overviewed the top ten richest royal family members. The group cumulatively control $114.4 billion.

    The King of Thailand Vajiralongkorn controls a fortune of $30 billion followed by Hassanal Bolkiah the Sultan of Brunei with a net worth of $20 billion. In the third spot, there is Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud the King of Saudi Arabia with a fortune of $18 billion.

    Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan is fourth with a fortune of $15 billion while Al-Waleed bin Talal closes the top five spot with wealth worth $13.4 billion.

    Other wealthy royal family members include Azim of Brunei ($4.2 billion), Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum ($4 billion), Grand Duke Henri ($4 billion), Hans Adam II ($3.5 billion) and Juan Carlos I ($2.3 billion)

  • Trump’s social media army 7x bigger compared to Biden’s

    Trump’s social media army 7x bigger compared to Biden’s

    Data acquired and aggregated by Finbold indicates that the United States President Donald Trump’s 143 million social media following is about 7.2 times more compared to his rival in the upcoming election Joe Biden.

    As of October 28th, Biden’s overall social media following stood at 19.94 million.

    On Twitter Trump has 87.2 million followers, representing about 7.86 more followers than Biden’s 11.1 million. The two candidates also have a share of fake Twitter followers with Trump having 6% more fake followers compared to Biden.

    An overview of their Instagram accounts indicates that Trump has 4.52 times more followers than Biden at 22.6 million while Biden has only 5 million followers.

    On Facebook, Trump controls a massive 32.26 million page followers while Biden followers are 9.06 times less than Trump at 3.56 million.

    On YouTube, Biden also trails with 0.28 million subscribers, which is about 5.04 times less when contrasted to Trump’s 1.41 million subscribers.

  • France and Spain produced the most pumpkins and gourds in 2019 in EU

    France and Spain produced the most pumpkins and gourds in 2019 in EU

    In 2019, about 25.000 hectares across the European Union were devoted to cultivating pumpkins and other types of gourd, Eurostat reports.

    The EU Member States which produced the most pumpkins and gourds in 2019 were France (129.400 tonnes) and Spain (129.100 tonnes).

    They followed by Germany (86.000 tonnes), Portugal (72.700 tonnes) and Poland (68.500 tonnes).

    In 2019, the EU exported 21.700 tonnes of pumpkins, squash and gourds outside the EU, 64% more than in 2012. These exports were mainly to the United Kingdom in 2019 (63%), followed by Switzerland (16%) and Israel (11%).

    Spain exported the most pumpkins, squash and gourds to non-EU countries (36% of the extra-EU exports in volume) in 2019, closely followed by Portugal (30%), ahead of France (12%) and Greece (10%).

    In 2019, the EU imported 31.100 tonnes of pumpkins, squash and gourds from abroad, 81% more than in 2012. The highest share of the imports in 2019 came from South Africa (17%), followed by Panama (11%), Morocco (10%), the United Kingdom and Argentina (9% each) as well as Brazil (8%).

  • SDA Bocconi School of Management to build and deliver online short courses

    SDA Bocconi School of Management to build and deliver online short courses

    SDA Bocconi School of Management signs agreement with 2U to build, deliver and support online short courses in core and emerging business topics.

    With these new short courses, SDA Bocconi and 2U are giving professionals access to the in-demand skills training needed to lead today’s corporations, NGOs, and nonprofits to long-term success. 

    Each of the short courses will be taught in English.

    Participants will be eligible to receive a certificate of completion from SDA Bocconi. 

    ”At SDA Bocconi, we’re training the next generation of business leaders in the skills needed to guide companies to profitability with an emphasis on ethical and sustainable operations,” said Gabriele Trolio, Associate Dean for the Open Market and New Business Division of SDA Bocconi School of Management.