2024 is going to “feel like a lot of tailwinds coming together”‘, says Fundstrat’s Tom Lee.
Morgan Stanley > 2024 U.S. Economic Outlook
Ellen Zentner, chief U.S. economist at Morgan Stanley translates the sometimes complex world of economics, helping investors identify early indicators of market-moving trends.
Register Now for World of Concrete 2024, Jan. 22-25 in Las Vegas
World of Concrete (WOC), the premiere exhibition serving the thriving construction and masonry industries, prepares for its much anticipated 50th edition at the Las Vegas Convention Center, Jan. 23-25, 2024 – with educational programs beginning on Jan. 22.
In 2023, WOC drew just over 48,000 registered professionals, with bustling foot traffic throughout the show, high engagement with the comprehensive educational offerings, and overall enthusiasm from participants — underscoring the industry’s critical need for in-person connections.
World of Concrete 2024 will feature all the newest products, leading-industry suppliers, resources, and valuable education necessary for concrete and masonry professionals. This is “the” commercial construction industry’s first, largest and most important annual international event for this community across the globe! WOC 2024 will have more than 1,100 exhibitors and over 700,000 net sq. ft. of indoor and outdoor exhibit and event space, and an enhanced world-class education program.
WOC will once again work closely with the U.S. Commercial Service in the global promotion of the 2024 show to bring international buyers and U.S. exhibitors together to expand business both domestically and overseas.
Sustainability is becoming increasingly important both domestically and globally. Producing World of Concrete provides numerous opportunities to improve the industry’s impact environmentally, socially and economically in the regions we operate. World of Concrete is evolving and will play a role in helping the market improve its own sustainability.
The 2024 World of Concrete Education Program will offer a variety of solid, in-depth learning options for every concrete/ masonry professional including technical applications, business best practices, project management, and safety-relevant topics for every skill level from beginner to experienced, every level of responsibility from office and field personnel to business owners.
The 2024 education program will include 50 new topics, such as ADA guidelines and compliance, fundamentals of concrete paving, implementing Type IL Portland-limestone cement, employee mental health, commercial/industrial repair, formwork, planning a successful career path in the concrete industry, future of 3D printing, and durability with colloidal silica plus an entire track of new seminars devoted to Emerging Leaders with practical tips for current supervisors and up-and-coming leaders. WOC will also launch a brand-new, 60-Minute “Fast Facts” seminar series featuring trending industry topics.
World of Concrete 2024: January 23-25; Education 22-25, at the Las Vegas Convention Center. Attendees must register online by 12/12/23 to save on exhibits.
Beyond ChatGPT: The Future of Generative AI
Venture capital firms have invested over $1.7 billion in generative AI solutions over the past three years, with AI-enabled drug discovery and AI software coding receiving the most funding. A report from Gartner explores five industry use cases for generative AI.
The 2023 Global Peace Index (GPI) — the world’s leading measure of global peacefulness
The 2023 Global Peace Index (GPI) — the world’s leading measure of global peacefulness — showed, for the ninth consecutive year, a deterioration in the level of global peacefulness. Overall, the global economic impact of violence measured at around $17.5 trillion in 2022, or 13% of the global GDP. Despite this global deterioration, the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region registered the second-largest improvements in peacefulness, with Libya showing the most improvement for the second consecutive year.
Global economy to slow substantially in 2023, says the World Bank.
The global economy is set to slow substantially in 2023, according to a new report from the World Bank. The lagged and current effects of monetary tightening, as well as more restrictive credit conditions, are expected to weigh on activity in the second half of the year, with weakness persisting into 2024. Excluding China, growth in emerging market and developing economies (EMDEs) is set to decline markedly, with the outlook weakest in countries with elevated fiscal and financial vulnerabilities. The resurgence of recent banking sector turmoil represents a serious risk. Widespread financial stress could have especially severe economic consequences.
United Nations: The 2023 Financing for Sustainable Development Report
The 2023 Financing for Sustainable Development Report: Financing Sustainable Transformations warns of a lasting sustainable development divide as SDG financing needs are growing but development financing is not keeping pace. It calls on the international community to align financing with sustainable development by combing three sets of actions. First, scale up development cooperation and SDG investment. Second, strengthen the international financial architecture. Third, accelerate national sustainable industrial transformations.
Download the 2023 Financing for Sustainable Development Report: Financing Sustainable Transformations
UN Report > Global trade slows, but “green goods” grow
According to a new report from the United Nations Conference
on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), global trade was worth a record $32 trillion in 2022, but amid deteriorating economic conditions and rising uncertainties, growth turned negative in the last half of the year and is set to stagnate in the first half of 2023.
The silver lining was the strong performance of trade in environmentally friendly “green goods,” says UNCTAD’s latest Global Trade Update.
“This is good news for the planet,” says Alessandro Nicita, one of the report’s authors, “as these goods are key to protecting the environment and fighting climate change.”
Update: Sustainability for a better world
Business trends in 2023 revolve around corporate sustainability. From adopting the circular economy to cleaning up the global supply chain, 2023 is the year that companies must put sustainability in business into action. University of Navarra IESE Business School professors explore ways to put sustainability at the heart of business.
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OpenAI Co-founder Greg Brockman on ChatGPT and Generative AI @ SXSW 2023
The past year proved that AI is here to stay.
In this session at SXSW 2023 in Austin, Greg Brockman, OpenAI’s co-founder and president, discussed the future that is here already and the ethical guardrails that come along with this new era of innovation. The conversation provides an insider’s look at the research lab behind popular creative tools “DALL·E” and “ChatGPT” and some of the most sophisticated advances in AI.
SXSW dedicates itself to helping creative people achieve their goals. Founded in 1987 in Austin, Texas, SXSW is best known for its conference and festivals that celebrate the convergence of the interactive, film, and music industries. An essential destination for global professionals, this year’s online event features sessions, showcases, screenings, exhibitions, professional development and a variety of networking opportunities.