After a pair of stunning announcements, two biotech upstarts take a big step toward approval, and toward potentially charting a less-travelled path to long-term profitability.
Fundamental Thinking
The perspectives of Harding Loevner’s sector and industry analysts on a range of investment topics.
The First Time in Memory: Have Durable Profits Finally Arrived in IT’s Most Volatile Segment?
After decades of 70% growth spurts, vicious price wars, and a major price-fixing scandal, memory chips show signs of behaving, dare we say, almost like a stable business.
Hearing Aids for All—Sound Good?
How new regulations and direct-to-consumer distribution models play out for the hearing industry is—much like these tiny marvels of technology themselves—likely to be complicated.
Untested: The Investment Case Behind the Race for a Coronavirus Vaccine
As the candidates hurtle toward the finish line, modelling the long-term profits for one of the most audacious undertakings in the history of science remains a separate challenge.
A People’s War: China and the Coronavirus
China was the first country to confront COVID-19 and appears to be the first to recover. The solidarity and tenacity of the Chinese people were key reasons for the success, writes Harding Loevner Analyst Jingyi Li.
It’s a Wrap? How Consumer Behavior Is Shaping the Future of Plastic Packaging
Consumer goods companies are being pressured to reduce or eliminate single-use plastics from product packaging. This presents an opportunity and a challenge. One thing seems certain: companies that ignore demands for eco-friendly packaging do so at their peril.
The Global Recycling Shakeup: Why Tech Is Replacing Cheap Labor in the Plastic Recycling Industry
In response to China’s decision to halt plastic scrap imports, some waste management companies in the West are going high tech.
A Bitter Pill: Why Big Pharma’s Era of Big Profits May Be Expiring
Pharmaceutical companies, pressured by buyers to lower drug prices, find their high profit margins threatened.
Why Subscription Revenue Is Lifting the Enterprise Software Industry—And Investor Expectations
Selling software as a service instead of a product has been a boon for enterprise software companies. But will their growth translate to high profits?
A Prescription for Growth? Why Pharma Companies Are Testing New Tactics to Refill Their Drug Pipelines
Many pharmaceutical companies are shifting away from large acquisitions, instead opting to buy smaller firms with riskier, earlier-stage drug candidates. Others are experimenting with new strategies altogether.
Faster Fashion: Why Being Quick to Market Matters More Now for Apparel Companies
To regain market share lost to nimble competitors, established footwear and apparel brands are taking steps to accelerate design, production, and sales.
Are Biosimilars the Next Big Growth Opportunity for the Pharmaceutical Industry?
As top-selling biologics begin to lose patent protection, some drug makers are investing heavily to meet anticipated demand for biosimilars. Yet the high cost and complexity of these new drugs pose a risk to expected profits.