Slope of Hope Blog Posts

Slope initially began as a blog, so this is where most of the website’s content resides. Here we have tens of thousands of posts dating back over a decade. These are listed in reverse chronological order. Click on any category icon below to see posts tagged with that particular subject, or click on a word in the category cloud on the right side of the screen for more specific choices.

Move Over America! 

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China’s Luxury Goods Market Is Making A Comeback

While nearly 78 percent of Americans are living paycheck to paycheck, an increase of 6 percent between 2022 and 2023 according to a recent survey, Chinese consumers are showing up and dishing out luxury goods and services as the market is set for a strong recovery in the year ahead. 

In the latest China Luxury Report by Bain & Company, analysts predict that China’s luxury goods market experienced a comfortable 12% year-on-year increase in 2023. The rebound has seen China’s domestic luxury goods market recover from previous declines during the pandemic years, however, is still slightly below the record level of 2021. 

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Move Over America

By -

China’s Luxury Goods Market Is Making A Comeback 

While nearly 78 percent of Americans are living paycheck to paycheck, an increase of 6 percent between 2022 and 2023 according to a recent survey, Chinese consumers are showing up and dishing out luxury goods and services as the market is set for a strong recovery in the year ahead. 

In the latest China Luxury Report by Bain & Company, analysts predict that China’s luxury goods market experienced a comfortable 12% year-on-year increase in 2023. The rebound has seen China’s domestic luxury goods market recover from previous declines during the pandemic years, however, is still slightly below the record level of 2021. 

The same Bain & Company report estimates that by the end of the decade, Chinese consumers will represent between 35% and 40% of spenders in the luxury goods market. 

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What’s Happening At The Blackline?

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Against all odds, stock markets have managed to roar through the first quarter of the year, seeing all major indexes closing off the final trading week of the quarter on new highs despite high levels of uncertainty, inflationary pressure, and the high-interest rate environment. 

On Wednesday, March 27, the benchmark S&P 500 rose 0.53%, pushing total quarterly gains to roughly 10% for the first quarter of 2024. Since late January, the benchmark index has been setting new records and hasn’t looked back ever since. The index is now on track to clock in its biggest first-quarter gain since 2019. 

Similarly, both the Dow Jones Industrial Average and the tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite reported similar gains, with the Dow Jones rising 0.40% and the Nasdaq up 0.40% during late Wednesday afternoon trading. 

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Learning Lessons The Hard Way 

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Inflation, bad economics, and slower consumer spending have hit even the nation’s most affordable retail stores – Family Dollar. 

On Wednesday, 13 March Dollar Tree announced its fourth-quarter earnings, and despite the revenue growth over recent months, the company announced that it’s planning on closing nearly 1,000 of its Family Dollar-owned stores. 

Back in 2015, Dollar Tree acquired Family Dollar in a $8.5 billion deal in an attempt to create a coup de grace that would challenge nearest discount competitors Dollar General and Walmart. 

Unfortunately, Dollar Tree had to learn these lessons the hard way, following the acquisition and the difficulty of having to rebuild the reputation of the downtrodden Family Dollar brand that has been ridiculed with bad publicity and increasing competition within an already slow consumer market. 

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BYD Bonanza

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Chinese EV Maker Reeling Past All The Stops

Chinese electric vehicle (EV) manufacturers BYD are having a moment across the world, winning over motorists and governments with affordable, and seemingly cutting-edge battery electric vehicles (BEVs) and new energy car production. 

For much of last year, and perhaps the year before, BYD has been claiming its stake as one of the top EV producers and is now on the verge of overtaking American-based Tesla following the release of Q3 2023 sales and production figures. 

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