November 2022 – Vanderbilt Business Review

Nov

30

2022

Hive Helps Students With Career Planning

All Posts, Industries

By Ilana Drake This article is originally published by YR.media and is republished by Vanderbilt Business Review. A recruiting platform for students recently held a money management conference that enabled college students and recent graduates to build effective resumes; become more marketable to potential employers; and how to shine during interviews. Hive — which connects diverse students to companies they are partnered with such as Morgan Stanley, Goldman Sachs, BlackRock, Disney and Accenture — held the Money Management Institute Conference in Nashville, Tennessee. The platform, which started in October 2020, assists students with making a resume through their step-by-step process and connects…

Nov

30

2022

By Brian Zhao

Russia-Ukraine War Skyrockets Nickel Prices

All Posts, Analysis, Economy and Government

By Brian Zhao (Image: creative common license) The Russian-Ukraine conflict has caused a number of supply chain disruptions in addition to obstructing the flow of goods, driving up product shortages, and creating severe food crises around the world. Even nickel, a relatively available commodity, has undergone unprecedented price changes. In March 2022, the London Metal Exchange suspended nickel trading due to its wild fluctuations caused by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, which sent the market surging well over the $100,000 per tonne mark. The drastic increase of this raw material could wreak havoc for several industries that nickel supply is important…

Nov

29

2022

By Edward Ding

Rate Hikes and Legoland: South Korea’s Bond Market Woes

All Posts, Economy and Government

By Edward Ding (image: iStock) For the South Korean bond market, 2022 has gone from bad to worse. Markets in Korea have been grappling with the same macro problems that have afflicted much of the world: high inflation, global recession fears, and monetary tightening have all converged to crimp corporate profits, breed uncertainty, and generally create a volatile financial environment. The Bank of Korea continues to follow the Fed in its regime of rapid rate hikes, a policy that has steadily pushed up borrowing costs in the local debt market. The uncertain macro environment has dampened investor demand, and issuers…

Nov

22

2022

By Brian Zhao

Changing the Game: Blockchain’s Role in the Future of Finance

All Posts, Finance and Business Insight

By Brian Zhao (Image: creative common license) Most of us remember Bitcoin’s crazy upsurge in 2017, when its price jumped by over 2,000 percent, going from about $1,000 at the start of the year to nearly $20,000 by December. This dramatic shift, along with many success stories of ordinary people becoming millionaires overnight, has generated immense interest in the digital currency. Cryptocurrencies have remained in the spotlight since 2017, and much discussion has centered on what the relatively new form of monetary transactions could mean for the future. Although around 4 percent of the world’s population, which is about 300…

Nov

05

2022

By Claire Chen

The Informal Economy: Case Studies Within America’s Ethnic Chinese Diaspora

All Posts, Finance and Business Insight

By Claire Chen The universal status of Chinese food is perhaps the most iconic symbol of Chinese diasporic success. Even three years and five hundred miles out of the house, I can still find the dishes of my childhood when I walk down the streets of Nashville. No doubt you’ve ventured to these same businesses as well to chase that late-night fried rice craving that only Chinese takeout can fix. But the public-facing businesses catering to the American palate are just the surface of community innovation. The fried rice you trust is made by workers with W-2s in a kitchen…

Nov

05

2022

By Iris An

Made-in-China Electric Blanket Sales Booming in Europe as Homeowners Struggle with Soaring Fuel Bills

All Posts, Industries

By Iris An (Image: creative common license) As the temperature drops below 60°F this week, heaters, hot tea, blankets, sweaters, and hot air from air conditioners are returning to our lives in Nashville. At the same time, our European friends don’t seem to be enjoying a longer summer: temperatures in London fell below 51°F, with Berlin at a slightly better 59°F, and Amsterdam at 56°F, while the Nordics are facing an autumn well below 40°F. With winter approaching Europe, it is simple to see how a significant energy crisis resulting from the Russian-Ukrainian war would make this winter much more…

Nov

01

2022

By Shane Mumma

A Conversation with Vanderbilt Senior Ash Rai, Co-Founder and CEO of Fin-Tech Startup Feather

All Posts, Finance and Business Insight

By: Shane Mumma Editor’s Note: Shane and Ash are good friends. The following in-person interview has been edited for clarity and length. Shane: So, hello Ash! Welcome to this interview with the Vanderbilt Business Review—we’re happy to have you here! Basically, we’ve heard that you’ve launched a bunch of businesses during your time at Vanderbilt, and we’d love to hear about them. So, if you could tell me about your current business Feather—what it is, how you got the idea, and what the timeframe for it actually being available is. Ash: Sure, great! So yeah, I’m Ash. I’m a senior…

Nov

01

2022

By Sebastian Marrero

Expanding H-1B: The necessity of skilled foreign labor

All Posts, Economy and Government

By Sebastian Marrero Featured image: iStock In this article, I will discuss a few of the many economic benefits that H-1B workers provide in strengthening the U.S. economy, additionally talking over past efforts that have been made to weaken or remove the program altogether. Finally, I will argue that increasing visa caps and changing the way the program chooses its recipients will form a safer, stronger, and more equitable visa program for skilled foreign workers. What is H-1B? Foreign workers form an integral part of the American economy. According to the U.S. Department of Labor, they comprise 17.4 percent of…