January 19: Sunday Funday #36
Articles, streams and books that caught our attention this week
Articles 📰
Why people over the age of 55 are the new problem generation
In the past, revolutionary and reckless youth worried politicians. These days the oldest strain public services, wreak havoc on national politics and account for a growing share of social problems. Elderly revellers are numerous: the number of people over 65 is growing across the rich world. In Britain they are more than a fifth of the population. And they want to have fun. In a way, those over the age of 55 but under the age of 75—roughly speaking, the baby-boomers and some of what is referred to as “Generation X”—are the new problem generation.
How Worried to Be About Bird Flu
Part of the reason I feel concerned is the government’s lackluster response. The movement of the virus into cows was a huge red flag. Cows have never been a known source of this flu, so that was a complete surprise. That should have been a moment when officials said: We really need to contain this before it gets out of control. If some of the first afflicted herds had been kept from moving around, or even culled, it’s possible that the virus might have been contained before dairy workers got sick. The USDA has ramped up its testing of milk…
What Foods Will Be Impacted by FDA’s Ban on Red Dye No. 3—And What Could Replace It
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) banned the use of Red Dye No. 3 in food and ingested drugs on Wednesday, more than three decades after the agency prohibited it from being used in cosmetics because of possible cancer risks… Ronholm says consumer advocates have concerns over other types of dyes, including Red 40, Yellow 5, Yellow 6, Blue 1, Blue 2, and Green 3—all of which California banned from the meals, drinks, and snacks served by public schools in Sept. 2024, over concerns that the six dyes are linked to health and behavioral problems in some children.
Private label sales hit another high in 2024
Consumers continued to turn to private label products in 2024 as total category sales rose 3.9% to $271 billion when compared to 2023, according to data from the Private Label Manufacturers Association (PLMA) and the market researcher Circana. Private label sales continued to outpace national brand sales, which grew 1% in dollar sales during the period of Jan. 8 to Dec. 29, 2024, the PLMA said.
What Happens When You Turn Your Life Over to an AI Assistant?
The hosts of Uncanny Valley spent the week following the advice of AI chatbots when it came to shopping, fitness, and parenting. Here’s how it went.
Lack of Sleep Has a New, Unexpected Effect on Mental Health
There have been quite a few research studies on lack of sleep, like how it can increase the risk of heart attack and stroke, contribute to brain aging, and even make you feel drunk at work (not as fun as it sounds.) If you don’t get enough REM sleep, your brain has trouble maintaining all sorts of healthy functioning, including the ordinary task of curbing negative memories. Unfortunately, this can become a vicious cycle…
Naps can help improve your cognition. Here’s how to take a better nap.
Research shows that napping can not only take the edge off a night of inadequate sleep but also boost our cognitive and learning capabilities. Even a 10-minute nap can have profound effects on our cognition and mood in addition to alleviating afternoon slumps.
Have Americans Ever Really Been Healthy?
“We will make Americans healthy again,” Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has declared. A political action committee that has promoted Mr. Kennedy, President-elect Donald J. Trump’s pick for health and human services secretary, says his movement is “igniting a health revolution in America.” But the word “again” presumes a time in the country’s past when Americans were in better health. Was there ever really a time when America was healthier? For historians of medicine, there is a short answer…
The average American uses an astounding 141 rolls of toilet paper a year. If you’re going through that much tissue, we think it’s worth settling on a brand you actively like (you could also consider cutting back, with the help of a bidet). Over the course of 10 months, we tushy-tested 36 varieties of toilet paper. And we concluded that…
What We’re Streaming 📺📲
The Reading List 📖📚
We’re finishing up last week’s recommendation, and we’ll be back with a new one in our next edition of Sunday Funday. For folks just joining us, here are some of the more recent book recommendations we’ve shared:
Don’t be a stranger
Thanks for reading and if you have a suggestion for an article or book we should read, or a stream we should catch, email us at info@tematicaresearch.com. The same email works if you want to know more about our thematic and targeted exposure models listed below.
The Strategies Behind Our Thematic Models
Aging of the Population - Capturing the demographic wave of the aging population and the changing demands it brings with it.
Artificial Intelligence – Software, chips, and related companies that facilitate the collection and analysis of large data sets and autonomous generation of solutions given non-machine language prompts.
Cash Strapped Consumer - Companies poised to benefit as consumers stretch the disposable spending dollars they do have.
CHIPs Act – Capturing the reshoring of the US semiconductor industry and the $52.7 billion poised to be spent on semiconductor manufacturing.
Cloud Computing – Companies that provide hardware and services that enhance the cloud computing experience for users, such as co-location, security, and edge computing.
Core Holdings – Companies that reflect economic activity and are large enough to not get pushed around by day-to-day market trends. Low-beta, large-cap names able to better withstand economic turmoil.
Cybersecurity - Companies that focus on protecting against the penetration of digital networks and the theft, ransom, corruption or destruction of data.
Data Privacy & Digital Identity - Companies providing the tools and services that verify authorized users and safeguard personal data privacy.
Digital Infrastructure & Connectivity -The buildout and upgrading of our Networks, Data Storage Facilities, and Equipment.
Digital Lifestyle - The companies behind our increasingly connected lives.
Digital Payments - This model focuses on companies benefitting from the accelerating structural adoption of digital payments and financial technology (FinTech).
EPS Diplomats - Profitable large capitalization companies proven to produce above-average EPS growth and provide investors with the benefit of multiple expansion.
EV Transition - Capturing the transition to EVs and related infrastructure from combustion engine vehicles.
Guilty Pleasure – Companies that produce/provide food and drink products that consumers tend to enjoy regardless of the economic environment and potential long-term health hazards associated with excessive consumption.
Homebuilding & Materials – Ranging from homebuilders to key building product companies that serve the housing market, this model looks to capture the rising demand for housing, one that should benefit as the Fed returns monetary policy to more normalized levels.
Luxury Buying Boom - Tapping into aspirational buying and affluent buyers amid rising global wealth.
Market Hedge Model – This basket of daily reset swap-based broad market inverse ETFs protects in the face of market pullbacks, overbought market technicals, and other drivers of market volatility.
Nuclear Energy & Uranium – Companies that either build and maintain nuclear power plants or are involved in the production of uranium.
Rebuilding America - Turning the focused spending on rebuilding US infrastructure into revenue and profits.
Safety & Security – Targeted exposure to companies that provide goods and services primarily to the Defense and security sectors of the economy.
Space Economy – Companies that focus on the launch and operation of satellite networks.
The Strategies Behind Our Dividend Income Models
Monthly Dividend Model – Pretty much what the name says – this model invests in companies that pay monthly dividends to shareholders.
ETF Dividend Model – High-yielding ETFs that provide a range of exposures from domestic equities, international equities, emerging market equities, MLPS, and REITs.
ETF Enhanced Dividend Model – A group of high-yielding ETFs that utilize options to enhance yield through collecting option income.
Don’t be a stranger
Thanks for reading and if you have a suggestion for an article or book we should read, or a stream we should catch, email us at info@tematicaresearch.com. The same email works if you want to know more about our thematic and targeted exposure models listed above.