Goldman Sachs
Showing 571–585 of 1298 transcripts.
- 8 min
Unicorns and Soonicorns: What’s Driving Significant Growth in European Tech
Goldman Sachs analysis reveals that the European tech sector has undergone a transformation marked by a six-fold surge in venture capital and the emergence of 120 unicorns, with market capitalization now surpassing financial and natural resources industries combined. Founders have shifted strategic ambitions from seeking billion-dollar exits to pursuing massive public listings, resulting in a record year of tech IPOs and a forecasted creation of five to ten superunicorns exceeding $100 billion within the next decade. Despite challenges regarding the exodus of enterprise software to the U.S., the region continues to diversify beyond e-commerce into fintech, software, and health tech, positioning itself for a supercycle of public market growth over the next five to ten years.
- 20 min
The Global Chip Shortage: Impact, Outlook and Recovery
Toshiya Hari, Kota Yuzawa, Rod Hall, Allison Nathan
Driven by pandemic-induced demand surges and supply chain bottlenecks that began in early 2020, the global semiconductor shortage peaked in mid-2021 before projections indicate a gradual normalization through 2022. The automotive and consumer electronics sectors faced significant disruption, with the auto industry losing $15–$20 billion in operating profits while hardware giants like Apple and Cisco capitalized on remote-work trends. This crisis has triggered a structural shift toward long-term contracts, government-backed domestic manufacturing investments by Intel and TSMC, and a move away from just-in-time inventory strategies to ensure future supply resilience.
- 15 min
Rami Rahim, CEO of Juniper Networks
Juniper Networks CEO Rami Rahim positions the company as a critical architect of global connectivity by pivoting toward software-defined "experience-first networking" and AI-driven analytics via its Marvis engine to predict network failures before they occur. This strategic evolution addresses the surging demands of 5G infrastructure, cloud computing, and massive data generation while aiming to simplify enterprise operations and reduce legacy maintenance costs. Rahim further advocates for government-backed broadband investment and gradual hybrid work models to modernize office environments, viewing these macro shifts as significant growth opportunities for Juniper's next decade.
- 8 min
How Companies Are Accelerating the Transition to Clean Energy
Driven by the International Energy Association's 2050 net-zero targets, the global energy transition prioritizes investment in hydrogen, solar, and battery storage while navigating significant infrastructure and cost challenges. Market analysis identifies hydrogen for heavy-duty trucking and solar utility sectors as primary growth vectors, yet advises investors to bypass commoditized manufacturing in favor of high-barrier storage, transportation, and engineering services. Despite rapid cost reductions in solar and battery technologies, the sector remains in its early stages, requiring careful evaluation of emerging carbon capture methods to meet the substantial gigaton-scale emissions reduction goals.
- 24 min
The European Recovery: Here to Stay?
Allison Nathan, Jari Stehn, Richard Privorotsky, Yari Shteyn, Rich Pivorotsky
Driven by rapid vaccination rates and a significant fiscal stimulus package, the Euro Area and UK are projected to see GDP growth rates of 5.4% and 8.1% respectively in 2021, outpacing global consensus. While the ECB maintains an accommodative monetary stance with no rate hikes anticipated until 2025, European equity markets have rallied with cyclical sectors leading a shift in investor flows away from defensive positions. Despite persistent political risks in Italy, France, and Germany, the outlook remains positive as temporary inflationary pressures are expected to subside by late 2021, allowing structural reforms to drive medium-term expansion.
- 17 min
Robert Reffkin, Founder and CEO of Compass
Compass founder and CEO Robert Refkin built the real estate technology firm into a 45-market powerhouse by leveraging his philosophy of maximizing strengths and addressing a market gap of zero software engineers. Following an April IPO that navigated pandemic-era restrictions, the company now supports over 21,000 agents while using automation to scale operations and introduce margin-generating adjacent services like mortgage and title. Refkin projects sustained high transaction volumes through 2026, citing hybrid work shifts and historic interest rates, while continuing to apply the entrepreneurial principles outlined in his book, *No One Succeeds Alone*.
- 19 min
David Yeung, Founder and CEO of Green Monday Group
David Young founded the Green Monday movement in 2012 to challenge the cultural and environmental dominance of animal agriculture in Asia, launching retail brands and scalable alternatives like Omni Pork to address high pork consumption rates. The company's ecosystem strategy combines cultural advocacy with physical experiences, successfully shifting market sentiment as vegan and flexitarian identification in Hong Kong surged from 5% to 40% over twelve years. Driven by insights into food security risks, disease transmission, and consumer stigma, Young emphasizes a long-term "fail forward" approach to transform plant-based eating from a religious niche into a mainstream standard across the region.
- 8 min
Charging Up Electric Vehicle Battery Production Across EMEA
Driven by a projected quadrupling of European EV demand, major automotive manufacturers have elevated battery production to a boardroom-level strategic priority to secure supply chain autonomy against China's market dominance. Industry leaders are rapidly scaling lithium-ion capacity with state-backed initiatives and capital flows to lower costs, while solid-state technology remains a medium-term evolution rather than an immediate replacement. Goldman Sachs is positioning itself within this early-stage mega trend to facilitate value creation for emerging winners while aligning profit generation with the decarbonization of the global transport sector.
- 10 min
Activism Activity on the Rise
Shareholder activism has reached record levels driven by a surge in non-dedicated participants and a robust M&A market that is fueling a wave of corporate separations and portfolio simplifications. Concurrently, the focus of campaigns has shifted decisively toward ESG themes, with major capital holders like BlackRock and millennial investors pressuring boards to align compensation and strategy with sustainability goals. Companies now face a complex landscape where they must aggressively monitor valuation gaps, prepare for aggressive ESG-related proxy contests, and reconsider their public status to mitigate risks from both specialized activists and opportunistic retail investors.
- 29 min
From Crisis to Confidence: How Women Entrepreneurs Fared During the Pandemic
Asahi Pompey, Candice Tse, Allison Nathan, Mancha Feha
Goldman Sachs surveyed 1,100 women entrepreneurs across 37 countries to reveal that while 60% suffered revenue declines during the pandemic, 86% maintained operations despite caregiving burdens and sector-specific lockdowns. Driven by a "boom vs. bust" dynamic where retail and service sectors faltered while technology grew, 70% of respondents pivoted their models and accelerated digital adoption to survive. The study highlights that despite regional confidence gaps and financial pressures, 78% of these leaders remain optimistic, prompting Goldman Sachs to launch new digital training initiatives and advocate for expanded capital and childcare support to secure global economic recovery.
- 13 min
A “Superbloom” in M&A and Separation Activity
Driven by post-pandemic strategic reassessments and macroeconomic tailwinds such as low interest rates and high liquidity, corporate boards are accelerating a "super bloom" of global M&A and separation activity. Clients are increasingly pursuing tax-efficient structures like reverse Morris Trusts and partial carve-outs to simplify diversified portfolios, supported by the sheer scale of enterprise value and geographic complexity facing S&P and FTSE companies. While geopolitical tensions pose potential regulatory hurdles, Goldman Sachs anticipates this trend of creative deal-making and large-scale transactions will persist in the near term.
- 14 min
What’s Next for Central Bank Digital Currencies
Central banks globally are accelerating the development of Central Bank Digital Currencies to counter private digital currency risks and modernize payment infrastructure, with most adopting hybrid models intermediated by commercial banks rather than direct public access. While emerging markets prioritize financial inclusion and advanced economies focus on system robustness, designs increasingly balance benefits like faster settlements against risks of bank disintermediation and criminal activity through capped holdings and reduced anonymity. These initial conservative iterations aim to reduce costs and enhance competition without disrupting monetary policy or fiscal mechanisms, reserving advanced programmable features for future radical versions.
- 15 min
Alan Taylor, Two-Time Pulitzer-Prize-Winning Historian and Professor
Tracing the early nation's trajectory from a fragile 1783 "peace pact" to a centralized power, the event details how pragmatic leaders like Jefferson and Polk expanded federal authority through the Louisiana Purchase and the annexation of Texas despite ideological contradictions. This expansionist drive, coupled with the Mexican-American War's acquisition of vast western territories, transformed the United States into a continental power while simultaneously intensifying sectional tensions over slavery. Ultimately, these territorial gains created the specific "bone of contention" that historian Alan Taylor identifies as the primary catalyst for the Civil War fracture.
- 9 min
Commercial Real Estate and the Economic Recovery
Goldman Sachs analysts project divergent pandemic-era trajectories for real estate investment trusts, with industrial sectors capitalizing on e-commerce logistics while office and retail markets navigate complex shifts in utilization and long-term demand. A dramatic reversal in CEO sentiment regarding space requirements, coupled with hybrid work models that still necessitate full-week capacity, suggests office occupancy and rent growth will improve sequentially starting in late summer. Meanwhile, open-air retail centers are expected to recover temporarily through tenant re-filling, whereas mall REITs face structural challenges from e-commerce, and all sectors face varying inflationary hedges depending on lease terms ranging from daily resets to decade-long escalators.
- 11 min
Daniel Dae Kim, Actor, Director and Producer
Actor and producer Daniel Dae Kim testified twice before the U.S. Congress within six months to demand tangible resources for Asian Americans, citing severe underrepresentation in corporate and entertainment executive roles despite comprising over 12% of Fortune 500 workforces. By highlighting the disparity between the community's workforce presence and their 1.5% share of executive positions, Kim argued that the initial legislative resolution was insufficient to address systemic racism and the "model minority" myth. His advocacy, rooted in personal experiences of prejudice and a career defined by fighting for equal compensation, seeks to advance new bills that provide practical solutions for the nation's 23 million Asian Americans.