6A Economic and Regulatory Trends

One economic trend that I think would be wise to target as a possible opportunity is the rebuilding after natural disasters, and was presented by JP Morgan Chase. As the company cited, natural disasters occurring in Florida and Texas alone were able to decrease the national GDP by almost a full point last year. While that may not seem like a huge amount, national disasters are a part of life, and are not going away any time soon, and are going to continue to affect people across the nation. While it is terrible to think about the destruction of homes and livelihoods around the country, one must also realize that there are opportunities in each of those areas of natural disaster. Whether it come from a financial standpoint in rebuilding towns, companies, and generating profits for companies or businesses, whether it comes from the creation of more non-profit organizations looking to rebuild areas suffering from disaster, or whether it creates a need to help those that are less fortunate and have been affected by natural disasters. Opportunities exist in the aftermath of natural disasters. It is clear that the most likely customer to any of the opportunities named above will be those directly affected by the natural disasters themselves. Those affected by the disasters are going to need help and assistance in some way shape or form. With that being said, I do think the opportunity can be difficult to exploit, because by doing so, you are also exploiting those affected by the disasters to a certain point. For that reason alone, it could be tough to chase after this potential opportunity. Finally, the main reason I was able to see this opportunity is because it has affected myself, and my family several times. I have family that lives in Fort Myers, that has had to evacuate and rebuild their home time and time again after hurricanes, and there is also the fact that my home suffered a ton of damage in New Jersey after Super Storm Sandy. My driveway was blocked off, there was no power and fallen trees damaged a lot of my home. After all that, no one came to assist us for over two weeks. After all my experiences, as well as hearing about everyone else's experiences, it has become clear that there are opportunities that result from natural disasters. https://commercial.jpmorganchase.com/pages/commercial-banking/executive-connect/six-key-economic-trends

Another potential opportunity comes from Kimberly Amadeo, who wrote about how economic trends can affect citizens all over the country on the website The Balance. One trend that really stood out to me was the fact that our economy is in the expansion faze of the business cycle. As we are exiting years of recession and economic downturn, people have in turn begun to trust the economy, and trust business once again. This phase has led to an opportunity to push new, or simply more, products to market and take advantage of a positive economy, before the economy starts to peak, and possible bubbles are created. There is also a possible upcoming opportunity to take advantage of bubbles after our economy once again begins to reach its peak. I think the most likely customers of this opportunity are specific niche areas of our economy, such as in 2007 and 2008 when millions were affected by the housing bubble, but at the same time a select few were able to make a fortune by predicting the crash.  This opportunity will be very difficult to exploit, whether it is taking advantage of a budding economy, or taking advantage of a disastrous downturn. The reason being is because it is incredibly difficult to take advantage of markets, whether they are successful, or on the verge of collapse. Finally the reason I was able to recognize this opportunity comes from research. Our nation, and many other nations have continually seen periods of peak economic times turn to disasters times of debt and a destructive economy, and then see that economy rebuild. This cycle has even been highlighted in movies like The Big Short. 
https://www.thebalance.com/top-usa-future-economic-trends-3305666
One important regulatory trend comes from the banking industry, and was presented by Deloitte. The trend is a pivot from building to sustaining. As firms have begun to rebuild after recent financial crisis' in the last 10 years, they have recognized the need to sustain what they have built, created, and profited on. There is an opportunity present here, considering that these banks and companies are beginning to view regulations as a way to create safer business practices and rely on less risky ventures. Banks are beginning to create a sense of trust among people, which is why there are opportunities to rely on some of the banks. I think that the ideal customer in a possible opportunity to do business with banks would be those who own or work at smaller businesses. They could grow their business and could continue to profit even in times of economic downturn as a result of doing business with banks making safer decisions revolved around sustaining their profits and the economy. Finally, I feel that this opportunity will be relatively easy to exploit, as long as businesses and people are willing to work together. Finally, I actually recognized this opportunity as a result of the assignment. As I was researching trends and reading into the volatility of markets and our economy, and how banks have began to work on building their portfolios and sustaining them even in times of economic downturn has led me to believe that there is an opportunity present here. https://www2.deloitte.com/us/en/pages/regulatory/articles/banking-regulatory-outlook.html

Another regulatory trend that came from Deloitte has to do with America's life sciences organizations and companies. The regulatory trend is that these companies must continue to recognize new laws and legislations regarding their business, while at the same time continue to help those in need. The most notable part of this trend was in the form of medical devices, and how they should be connected to the internet, hospital networks, and mobile devices. The reason I see an opportunity here is that if there is a way to connect some of these devices to the internet, then there is a chance that more people can benefit from medical professionals, at a quicker rate, and at a fraction of the cost. I think the biggest customer of this opportunity would be parents with younger, active kids. The reason being is that parents constantly could use a quick way to decide what to provide a sick kid, or the quickest way to hospitals in different areas, in case of an emergency. I feel that it will be difficult to find a way to provide devices and information and pair it with the internet and mobile devices, but at the same time, if it did become possible, it would be relatively easy to exploited, because everyone uses and has access to the internet and mobile devices nowadays. Finally, I saw the opportunity because as a kid I was constantly injured and breaking bones and getting sick, and my parents always waited days to check me into a hospital for assistance. If mobile devices and information were readily available on the internet or a mobile phone, it would have been much easier for them to determine that I may have needed some medical attention.
https://www2.deloitte.com/us/en/pages/regulatory/articles/life-sciences-regulatory-outlook.html