An exclusive WSJ analysis shows how venture-capital investment from Asia is skyrocketing, threatening to shift power over innovation More »
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It is one of America’s largest export sectors, but it will suffer in a trade war. More »
The robots are coming! Populist politicians the world over are raging against various threats to blue-collar jobs, from globalisation to those darned robots. However, says Courtney Fingar, artificial intelligence will still be reliant on the real thing, and those areas that provide these skills will have the least to fear from our new robo-overlords. More »
Fintech companies witnessed a record amount of venture capital funding last year—$16.6 billion across 1,128 deals globally, according to CB Insights—with U.S. fintechs and VC investors leading the pack. Deal volume may have dipped slightly between Q2-Q4 2017, but continues to remain robust compared to 2016. As fintech companies continue to rise to prominence, it can be expected that 2018 will continue to see a steady rise in both funding and deal volume, as investors place their bet on the next wave of disruptors. More »
Taxing inputs in a sales tax leads to “tax pyramiding.” Throughout the production cycle, the tax can be assessed multiple times. This leads to higher prices for consumers, fewer job opportunities for workers, or limits the business’s ability to expand. If too many business inputs are taxed, a state’s sales tax could actually start to function as a gross receipts tax.
This week’s map looks at just one of the many business inputs that states tax in their sales tax bases: manufacturing machinery. More »
Across the nation, R&D at colleges and universities plays an important role in generating promising inventions, training our STEM talent pipeline, and supporting regional economic development. An SSTI analysis of National Science Foundation data finds that higher-education R&D (HERD) is a multi-billion dollar industry that directly employs nearly one million personnel on projects and grants in the United States. However, the locations of R&D projects and personnel differ greatly by state and region. More »
Due to the effectiveness of employer-sponsored training program, U.S. states are working to build partnerships with industry partners that leverage public resources to help develop a 21st century workforce that addresses specific industry needs. Over the last month, partnerships have been announced between states and key industry leaders including AGCO, CVS, Tesla, and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation. Some of those collaborations are detailed below. More »
Of the proposed $1.5 trillion in federal funding, only $200,000 billion stems from direct federal spending, with the remainder falling on the shoulders of state and local governments which can gain access to the funding only if they match federal allocation on a 4-1 ratio. More »
The road to China’s autonomous-driving future is paved with solar panels, mapping sensors and electric-battery rechargers as the nation tests an “intelligent highway” that could speed the transformation of the global transportation industry. More »
A Canadian hydropower operation put out the welcome mat for bitcoin miners. Shortly thereafter, it was overrun. More »
Despite fears that President Donald Trump’s solar tariffs would cause job loss in the industry, it appears the opposite may in fact be happening. More »
s e-commerce volumes continue to grow, customer returns of products ordered online also are rising at a rapid clip, a trend that is increasing the need for efficient reverse logistics processes to control costs. More »
Report says wages rose up to 18% in past four years and benefits are also on the upswing, adding to higher logistics costs in a tight trucking market More »
What was “State of the Art” manufacturing a century ago? A friend of Agracel’s, Tom Ryan, who used to work in the Administration Building for Ford Motor Company, passed along the following information and pictures to us. These images are from 1917-1918. Amazing how things have changed! Enjoy! More »
Trump, through a number of executive orders and memos from various U.S. agencies has started narrowing visa requirements. More »
Caterpillar has been shrinking its roster of factories since 2015 More »
The steel mill in this Gothic town one hour southwest of Berlin has long supplied Europe, its main market, with wire used in construction. But it could still become a casualty of new U.S. tariffs on steel imports.
That is because the tariffs, announced last month, are threatening to redirect to Europe a wave of inexpensive steel from countries that had previously exported the alloy to America. More »
As the Air Force reviews its science and technology strategy, it's looking to the scientific community, higher education and business professionals to ensure it's staying on the leading edge of technological advances. More »
Entering the gleaming new white-and-blue Telemundo Center is a little like stepping into the future — and not just because the inside of the building feels like a spaceship. More »
