Analysis – Vanderbilt Business Review

Jan

20

2025

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By Nathan Park

The Rise of the New Kings of Wall Street: How Quant Firms Are Redefining the Financial Landscape and Their Impact on College Students

All Posts, Analysis, Finance and Business Insightbusiness, finance, jobs, park, student jobs

AndreyKrav via iStockPhoto For decades, the financial world was dominated by traditional investment banks like Goldman Sachs, Morgan Stanley, and JP Morgan. These institutions were synonymous with Wall Street success, wielding immense power and influence over the financial markets. However, a significant shift has taken place over the past decade, and a new breed of trading firms—Susquehanna International Group, Jane Street, and Citadel Securities—have quietly usurped the old guard. These firms, known as “quantitative trading firms” or simply “quant firms,” have transformed Wall Street by leveraging cutting-edge technology and data-driven strategies. They dominate the market through high-frequency trading (HFT)—a method…

Jan

08

2025

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By Owen Liu

Four Generations, One Workforce: How Gen Z’s Values Shape Career Paths

All Posts, Analysis, Finance and Business Insighteconomy, jobs, liu, vanderbilt, work

Image generated using Midjourney AI Today’s labor force spans four unique generations, creating challenges for companies to address the varied needs of employees, from retirement benefits to cultural values. Where does our generation of college students fit into this landscape? What priorities guide us when job hunting? How do we choose between a large corporation and a small startup? This article explores the current workforce dynamics, with projections extending into 2030. What does it mean to have four generations in the workforce? According to the U.S. Department of Labor, Millennials (born between the 1980s and late 1990s) and Gen X…

Dec

16

2024

By Ben Nelson

Investing at Vanderbilt

All Posts, Analysis, Finance and Business Insightbusiness, finance, investing, Nelson, vanderbilt

tadamichi via iStockPhoto The stock market is a staple of American life. Movies like The Big Short or the Wolf of Wall Street have become elements of pop culture, and the Wall Street Journal currently has over 4 million subscribers. This global phenomenon is currently present in many different facets of our lives. In fact, there is an entire sector of jobs that are based on reading and predicting the stock market for other people. All of this is to say that the stock market has become a global phenomenon over the years. Better yet, it provides everyday people like…

Nov

18

2024

By Nicolette Tolitano

Coke vs. Pepsi: The Battle for University Soda Machines

All Posts, Analysis, Finance and Business Insight, Industriesbusiness, industry, tolitano, vanderbilt

Nutthaseth Vanchaichana via iStockPhoto The age-old rivalry that has long divided the nation: Coke vs. Pepsi. Some claim they taste the same, while others say they are incomparable. Those with a strong preference for one of the two find themselves in unfortunate situations when the waiter replies, “sorry, we don’t carry [preferred cola drink], just [undesired cola drink].” For the consumer who enjoys both Coke and Pepsi alike, this poses no real inconvenience. But for consumers on either end of the spectrum, the lack of their favorite cola turns day into night. Now imagine a die hard Coke-lover coming to…

Nov

17

2024

By Frederik Schutz

We’re Going to Build a New Stadium, and You’re Going to Pay For It!

All Posts, Analysiseconomy, football, nashville, Schutz, sports

Image generated by ChatGPT 4o The Tennessee Titans are building a new, $2.1 billion dollar home and you’re going to pay for it. No, Vanderbilt students are not going to have to take out their, or their parent’s check book and write out an eye watering figure, but Nashville and Tennessee taxpayers are going to bear a record breaking financial burden to the tune of $1.2 billion dollars, the largest ever stadium subsidy in the nation. Large public subsidies for the stadiums of major sports teams have been somewhat of a trend in recent years, and with that has come…

Nov

13

2024

By Corey Lochan

Natural Disasters: A Drain in the Most Crucial Regions of Economic Development

All Posts, Analysisdevelopment, disaster, economic growth, lochan, nashville

CHUYN via iStockPhoto As hurricane season approaches its end following historic destruction in North Carolina, Georgia, and Tennessee, it is more important than ever to pay attention to the economic disasters that can accompany them. Natural disasters have devastating effects, and with climate change exacerbating the strength and frequency of these tragic events, they become even more relevant in the discussion of local economies. The issue of disasters is especially relevant in the Southeast, as Texas, Florida and Louisiana lead the nation in the associated costs of weather events. Florida alone suffered a 7.5-10% hit to GDP as a result…

Nov

10

2024

By Ava Nalavala

GLP-1s: A Game Changer. But for Whom?

All Posts, Analysis, Industriesindustry, medicine, nalavala, ozempic

PeopleImages via iStockPhoto What are GLP-1s? The emergence of GLP-1 drugs as effective treatments for obesity has dominated the recent news. Top headlines from Bloomberg, CNBC, The New York Times, People, and numerous other publications illustrate how this product has quickly become a mainstream part of our culture. GLP-1, or glucagon-like peptide-1, is a peptide hormone antagonist that blocks glucagon secretion to prevent excess glucose from entering the bloodstream. Initially developed over 15 years ago for lowering blood sugar for Type 2 diabetics, GLP-1 drugs are now also clinically proven to reduce weight significantly. Danish pharmaceutical company Novo Nordisk led…

Nov

10

2024

By Brenna Tucker

How Nashville Businesses Market Themselves to College Students: Student Deals and Discounts

All Posts, Analysis, Finance and Business Insightbusiness, deals, nashville, tucker, vanderbilt

csfotoimages via iStockPhoto When you ask someone about Nashville, “college town” will probably not be their chosen descriptor. With its incredible music scene, fabulous restaurants, and all sorts of attractions, Nashville is often known for its tourism, drawing people from all over to experience the city’s unique culture. One might think that tourists are then the main focus of local businesses, but the greater Nashville area is also home to roughly 9 colleges, making college students an important market for Nashville businesses. But how do businesses attract these college kids? And, likely most important to you, which businesses do this? …

Oct

19

2024

By Ava Nalavala

The Consolidation of Online Streaming

All Posts, Analysisbusiness, competition, industry, nalavala, streaming

mphillips007 via iStockPhoto The way we watch TV and movies is changing. Before the 1980s, people often relied on broadcast TV for their shows and movies. This free, ad-supported television broadcasted to homes and typically included three-to-four national and two-to-three local channels. Next, cable was invented, and for a monthly subscription, users could access hundreds of channels and additional content for a paid subscription. The Shift to Streaming As recently as 2016, almost 100 million homes had cable TV. Then, streaming emerged, significantly changing how we consume TV and movies. When streaming started to dominate, the first main platform was…