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Tis’ the season – it’s Spotify Wrapped!

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It’s finally that time of the year! And no we’re not talking about the festive season, we mean the celebration of Spotify Wrapped!

December 1 marks the release of the iconic, highly anticipated annual Spotify Wrapped campaign where over 381 million listeners subscribed to the streaming platform can see their unique listening trends for the year.

The campaign consists of snazzy and shareable customised infographics summing up your top artists, songs, playlist, podcasts, and genres, as well as the total number of minutes spent listening on the app.

Other features of the personalised campaign include:

  • 2021: The Movie – Pairs Spotify listener’s top songs with typical scenes from a movie that’s about you 
  • Your Audio Aura – Spotify worked with an aura expert to visualise listener’s audio aura based on your top two music moods
  • Playing Cards – An interactive game of ‘two truths and a lie’ based on each Spotify listener’s personal listening data 
  • 2021 Wrapped Blend – a feature that allows Spotify listeners create a blended playlist with their friends and see how their 2021 music tastes match up

So who and what did the world listen to the most this year?

For the second year in a row, Peuorto Rican rapper Bad Bunny was Spotify’s most listened to artist of the year, with more than 9.1 billion streams.

Bad Bunny’s reaction to hearing the news

Both the second most streamed artist, and most streamed female artist of the year was Taylor Swift, followed by BTS, Drake, and Justin Bieber.

18-year-old Olivia Rodrigo took the world by storm this year with her song ‘drivers license’ the first most streamed song on Spotify and ‘good 4 u‘ the fourth.

Not only that, but the young star’s debut album SOUR was also the number one most streamed album of the year.

Other than being a music streaming platform, Spotify has also become a home for podcasts, with the most popular being The Joe Rogan Experience, Call Her Daddy, Crime Junkie, TED Talks Daily, and The Daily

But whilst today may be a day worth celebrating for Spotify users, those subscribed to rival Apple Music are experiencing serious FOMO.

As Spotify listeners enjoy personlised interactive quizzes, audio auras and show-off-able infographics, Apple Music listeners just get a playlist with their top songs of the year.

The mediocre version of the Spotify Wrapped experience is a part of Apple Music’s Replay feature that launched in 2021.

And this isn’t to say that the $2.79 trillion company doesn’t have the facilities to collect data to make a personalised experience for their millions of listeners. 

Spotify has actually launched an entire campaign dedicated to Apple’s ‘unfairness’ where they believe Apple to be monopolising consumer’s listening devices (aka their iPhones) to benefit the Apple Music listening experience over Spotify’s.

Alas, the rivalry between Spotify and Apple Music continues… so who’s side are you on?

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Powell warns against further December interest rate cuts

Powell warns against assumptions of further rate cuts, highlighting divisions within the Fed amid ongoing economic uncertainties

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Powell warns against assumptions of further rate cuts, highlighting divisions within the Fed amid ongoing economic uncertainties

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In Short:
– Jerome Powell stated further interest rate cuts are uncertain after recent decreases, aiming to manage market expectations.
– The Fed ended its balance sheet reduction due to lending market disruptions and mixed views on future rate cuts among officials.

Federal Reserve chairman Jerome Powell indicated that further interest rate cuts are not guaranteed following the recent decrease. In a press conference, he stated that a further reduction in December is “far from” certain. His comments aimed to temper market expectations, where the likelihood of another cut was previously estimated at over 90 per cent.In response to Powell’s remarks, yields on the two-year treasury rose, and traders adjusted their expectations, now estimating a 60 per cent chance of a December reduction. Recently, the Federal Open Market Committee voted 10-2 to lower the federal funds rate target range to 3.75-4 per cent, in response to concerns about the labour market.

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The Fed has also announced an end to its balance sheet reduction efforts due to disruptions in short-term lending markets. Since 2022, the bank has reduced its asset holdings by over $US2 trillion following aggressive purchases aimed at stabilising the economy after the pandemic.

Policy Divisions

Recent post-meeting statements highlighted mixed views among Fed officials about the pace of future rate cuts. Powell remarked that uncertainty surrounding economic conditions necessitates a cautious approach. Ongoing government shutdowns have limited policymakers’ access to crucial economic data, complicating decision-making.

Recent labour market developments show slowed job gains, raising concerns about employment. The Fed is also cautious about reducing rates too quickly due to inflation remaining above their 2 per cent target, reflecting a complex economic landscape. Policymakers have struggled with decisions amid data limitations from the government shutdown, impacting their assessments of inflation and economic indicators.


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Trump finalises trade deal with South Korea at summit

Trump and South Korea finalise trade deal as he prepares for vital summit with Xi Jinping in Busan

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Trump and South Korea finalise trade deal as he prepares for vital summit with Xi Jinping in Busan

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In Short:
– Trump and South Korea’s Lee finalised a trade deal requiring $350 billion in U.S. investments.
– Trump anticipates favourable talks with China to reduce tariffs and improve relations.

Donald Trump and South Korean President Lee Jae Myung finalised a contentious trade deal at a summit in South Korea on Wednesday. The U.S. President expressed optimism about an upcoming summit with China’s Xi Jinping.The agreement, unveiled in late July, stipulated that South Korea would make $350 billion in new investments in the U.S. to avoid significant tariffs on imports. However, negotiations on the investment structure had stalled.

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Trump and Lee reached a compromise allowing Seoul to divide its $350 billion investment into $200 billion in cash, paid in $20 billion instalments. The remaining $150 billion will be allocated to shipbuilding investments.

Upon arrival from Tokyo, following a North Korea missile test, President Trump received an extravagant welcome in the historic city of Gyeongju, the venue for this year’s Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum.

His discussions with Xi are scheduled for Thursday in Busan. Trump downplayed the North Korea missile test and focused on his meeting with Xi, the leader of the world’s second-largest economy.

“I think we’re going to have a very good outcome for our country and for the world,” Trump stated. He anticipates reducing U.S. tariffs on Chinese imports in exchange for China agreeing to control the export of fentanyl precursor chemicals. The Wall Street Journal reported that tariffs could be halved from the current 20%.

China’s foreign ministry indicated that the upcoming meeting would foster positive developments in U.S.-China relations.

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December rate cut all but locked in

Australia’s economy struggles; rate cut impending but signals deeper issues, not recovery. #RBA #InterestRates #FinanceNews

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Australia’s economy struggles; rate cut impending but signals deeper issues, not recovery. #RBA #InterestRates #FinanceNews


Australia’s economy is losing steam, with weak consumer confidence, falling job ads, and a struggling construction sector, a December rate cut now seems inevitable. But it won’t be a win, it’ll be a warning.

#RBA #InterestRates #AustraliaEconomy #Inflation #Growth #Recession #FinanceNews #CPI #Economy #RateCut


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