Identifying Opportunities in Economic & Regulatory Trends

Regulatory Trends

 

U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) Overtime Regulations

http://www.businessnewsdaily.com/7671-regulatory-issues-changes.html

If this pending regulation gets approved, I feel like this will be an opportunity for workers to increase revenue albeit while also providing business owners the chance to make staff changes in order to adjust for the required increase in wages payed. This regulation would require an extension in overtime pay that would affect 4.2 million workers. Although to compensate there might be a redistribution of hours, this would be an opportunity for new workers to get hired (since management will want more people working less hours so as to avoid the additional overtime pay that comes with hiring a smaller number of employees to work larger hours to achieve equal efficiency). Or the opposite: business owners might refrain from hiring more people but this will prove to be helpful to those already employed who will receive overtime payment from the regulation's smaller exemptions. I think the customer with the greatest opportunity from this would be prospective workers who are unemployed and in the market for a job. I think this will be a relatively difficult opportunity to exploit considering the chances of reaping benefits are 50/50, either to current workers or those in search of getting hired.

Paid Sick Leave and Minimum Wage Policies at Local and State Levels

http://www.businessnewsdaily.com/7671-regulatory-issues-changes.html

This implemented change gets put into action this year and beyond, requiring business owners to increase minimum wages and provide expanded payment during sick leaves. These policies are being implemented rapidly and put into effects things such as requirements on new contracts drafted between employers and the people they hire within the state. I think this is a good opportunity for those who draft contracts for the hiring process as well as people working under these new employment laws. With all these new rules and regulations being put into effect at an unprecedented rate, new lawyers with fresh knowledge of these policies will need hiring to replace those who are uninformed or need new training to be updated. New contract drafters, lawyers, legal spokesmen, worker's compensation staff, legal advisors, human resources managers, and an updated department will be needed, and anyone who is fresh into the workforce in these fields is the target audience to exploit this new need developed from the implementation of these rules. I think this might be a harder opportunity to catch since the competition to fill these slots will be so high, but that is always the case, so with this guaranteed need at least there is assurance that a good chunk of these new laborers will get hired. I was intrigued by this upcoming trend because I am interested in social workers and the legal process and any event or occurrence that generated a larger demand for their services.

Economic Trends

 

Cryptocurrency Investments on the Rise

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2017-09-18/bitcoin-roars-back-from-chinese-regulation-spurred-swoon

I think there is an entire new genre of opportunities available to unlock with the introduction of the phenomena known as cyrptocurrency--an alternate and digital form of monetary exchange. Despite the recent revelation that China has banned the Bitcoin system of trading, the Bitcoin has still somehow managed to go up by a staggering 20%. I think this can be profitable for anyone for industries in the cryptocurrency business as well as investors who enjoy the benefits of digital asset currency that encourages major trading. This would be a relatively easy opportunity to exploit since the market is fresh and new, open for grabs and not too late to get in on the action--and considering that even a ban from one of the world's biggest economic markets didn't hinder Bitcoin's progress, it seems safe to say that this new rising trend of digital currency isn't going to face any bigger obstacles. I was attracted to this headline because of my International Business class and studies of world trade; I'd like to see how universal an unaffiliated cryptocurrency can become.

Interest Rates are Rising

 https://www.thebalance.com/top-usa-future-economic-trends-3305666

A current incline in the rates in order to meet the Federal Funds rate's goal of 2% has led to increased interest rates. Although this might spell bad news for those seeking to take out loans because costs and mortgages will rise, this is good for those prototypical customers who seek to save money by depositing it in their banking system and allowing interest rates to multiply their assets. This is a relatively easy trend to exploit since it's practically an open option for everyone who can just hold off purchases until they have enough in deposits and earned interest to counterbalance the increase in withdrawing loans they would have otherwise faced. As long as there isn't a recession, this opportunity is up for grabs. I personally saw this opportunity because I am a student ready to invest my money wisely by depositing it before a need arises so that a fraction of my assets can sit and collect further revenue. With higher rates, that means more returns from interest.