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Here at Visual Capitalist we stand for a world where data can be better understood by everyone. Over the last decade, we’ve published a new data visualization almost every day and now have around 3,000 on our website—all available for free. But today, we’re taking this to a new level with the Creator Program by Visual Capitalist, which gives you access to a brand new curated feed of charts, infographics, motion graphics, and interactives made by world-class experts from around the world....

What’s on the Market in Wearable Tech Wearable technology has come a long way from the first widespread wearable gadget, the calculator watch. The wearable tech industry has been receiving a lot of attention in the past few years. It is likely on the brink of rapid ascension, especially with big hitters like Samsung and Apple pursuing the opportunity. Equally as important, the fashion industry is also taking note of the growing market....

The 15 Greatest Gold Heists of All Time Gold is valuable and extremely rare, and therefore the yellow metal is usually protected at all costs. However, there have been multiple occurrences in history where evildoers have breached security measures and bullion has fallen into the wrong hands. Today we count down the stories of everyday henchmen, terrorist groups, and nation states that have all stolen large swaths of gold loot. This includes notable worldwide events such as the Spaniards’ metal extraction from the New World, famous and recent ISIS raids on banks in the Middle East, and two significant transfers of wealth in WWII that occurred through the use of force....

Long before fleets of container ships criss-crossed the world’s oceans, camel caravans and single-sail cogs transported regional goods across the world. Connecting the World Today’s interactive map, by Martin Jan Månsson, is a comprehensive snapshot of the world’s trade networks through the 11th and 12th centuries, which helped to connect kingdoms and merchants throughout Asia, Africa, and Europe. A confluence of interesting factors helped bring these markets together to encourage commercial activity:...

For 15 years, policymakers have tried to stimulate the global economy through money creation, zero interest-rate policies, and more recently, aggressive COVID fiscal stimulus. With capital at near-zero costs over this stretch, investors started to place more value on cash flows in the distant future. Assets inflated and balance sheets expanded, and money inevitably chased more speculative assets like NFTs, crypto, or unproven venture-backed startups. But the free money party has since ended, after persistent inflation prompted the sudden reversal of many of these policies....

Earth has life almost everywhere water exists. Water is an ideal target for finding lifeforms, like microbes, that may exist on other planets. And if Mars is to become a future home, knowing where water exists will be necessary for our survival. Both NASA and the European Space Agency (ESA) have special instruments searching for water on the red planet. After 10 years of in-depth investigation, their latest findings suggest a new “water map” for Mars....

This means that oil is the undeniable 800-pound gorilla in the energy mix for now, and that’s why it still accounts for 35% of all energy consumed in the United States. Throughout the last 50 years, America’s heavy dependence on oil has always created unique political and economic pressures, especially when that oil couldn’t be produced domestically. As we witnessed in the 1970s, untimely oil price shocks can rattle an entire economy, and control over oil production ultimately translated into leverage for foreign organizations like OPEC, and countries such as Venezuela, Iran, or Saudi Arabia....

Today’s video comes to us from YouTube channel Cottereau, and it shows the evolution of European map borders starting from 400 BC. Empires rise and fall, invasions sweep across the continent, and modern countries slowly begin to take shape (with the added bonus of an extremely dramatic instrumental). Below are nine highlights and catalysts that shifted the dividing lines of the European map: 146 BC – A Year of Conquest 146 BC was a year of conquest and expansion for the Roman Republic....

Student Loan Delinquencies are Sky High [Chart] Simple arithmetic shows one of these loans is not like the other The Chart of the Week is a weekly Visual Capitalist feature on Fridays. What do you get when you combine skyrocketing tuition costs, a lack of growth in high-paying jobs, moral hazard, and America’s largest-ever generation of students? It’s a recipe for a mountain of $1.3 trillion in student loan debt – much of which is not being paid for....

Nearly a year ago, Bank of Japan governor Haruhiko Kuroda described the unlikely inspiration behind Japan’s unprecedented monetary stimulus: Peter Pan. Kuroda’s optimism is desperately needed in a country that has now been officially “leapfrogged” by the four Asian Tigers in terms of Real GDP per capita (PPP). With over a decade of experimentation in extreme monetary policy under their belts, Japan has very little to show for it. It would be fine if this story of economic malaise could be confined as a global outlier....

A $26.7 billion boost for Chinese imports, in addition to a $5.3 billion increase in EU exports, has resulted in China officially becoming the EU’s largest trade partner. This data looks at a decade of growing trade between the EU and China. Playing Catch Up Displacing the U.S. as a trade partner serves as yet another reminder that China is playing catch up to America’s economy. In 2020, there was an approximate $5....

How Algorithms Have Changed the Face of Wall Street In these modern times, it feels as if everything (and sometimes, everyone) is being replaced by electronics and computers. The financial industry is no exception. Algorithms have changed the way investors are trading on the stock market and it has made the process incredibly efficient. However, in addition to the benefits of technology in trading, there have been many problems that have come to light....

Ultimately what most people really want is freedom – the freedom to do more of what they want, whenever they want, and with whomever they want. Sadly, many people never achieve this long-desired freedom for themselves or their families. That’s because there is a silent investment killer that picks away at many investors’ portfolios, and it’s all part of Wall Street’s plan to line their pockets. Becoming Unshakeable Today’s infographic is from Tony Robbins, and it uses data and talking points from his #1 Best Selling book Unshakeable: Your Financial Freedom Playbook, which is now available on paperback....

Warren Buffett’s investment style exemplifies the fundamental approach: “Which companies offer the best returns?” On the other hand, hedge fund manager James Simons of Renaissance Technologies is a notable example of the quantitative approach: “What is the best way to predict returns?” Both techniques have one thing in common—they seek excess return from the marketplace, or what is known as “Alpha”. Quantamental: Combining Quantitative & Fundamental Today’s infographic from GoldSpot Discoveries outlines quantamental investing as the blending of these two styles, human insight with computer power....

While this quote was penned in 1789, his words still ring true today. U.S. taxation has changed over time, but it has always existed in some shape or form for over 250 years. U.S. Taxation: 1765 to Today In today’s infographic from New York Life Investments, we explore the history of U.S. taxation – from its colonial roots to its recent reform. The modern American tax code has little resemblance to its early iterations....

Whether they operate a family-run business or a rapidly evolving tech startup, there is always another milestone in sight. Business owners want to their companies to make an impact with their customers and communities, and they want to keep honing their craft. But with 27.9 million small businesses in the United States alone, there is no shortage of competition for the same pieces of the pie. How can you take steps in scaling your business, and do what your competitors are not willing to do?...

Integra Gold Launches $1 Million Challenge to Find Next Gold Discovery Today Integra Gold launched the world’s largest crowdsourcing challenge related to mining to find the next large gold discovery. The company recently acquired a treasure trove of data through its acquisition of the Sigma-Lamaque Mine and Milling Facility near its Lamaque South discovery. The six terabytes (6,000 GB) of data spans 75 years and originates from the exploration and production efforts of Teck, Placer Dome, and other companies that worked these historical properties....

Naturally, the Germans have a term – Wanderwörter – for these extraordinary loanwords that journey around the globe, mutating subtly along the way. Today’s map, produced by Haisam Hussein for Lapham’s Quarterly, charts the flow of Wanderwörter along global trade routes. Tea China’s export dominance over tea influenced how people around the world refer to their steeped beverages. The spread of tea along the Silk Road from Mandarin-speaking Northern China resulted in much of Asia and Africa having similar sounding words for tea....

One area of compromise? The Olympic gold medals, which weigh 500g (1.1 lbs) and are 85mm (3.3 in) in diameter, are gold in name only. Olympic Gold Medals Have Almost Zero Gold in Them Today’s infographic comes from JM Bullion and it shows the real amount of metal in gold, silver, and bronze medals, along with the hypothetical cost of awarding solid gold to winning athletes. All That Glitters is…Silver That’s right, gold medals are actually 98....

The fact is, New York City has over 6,000 high-rise buildings in total, 274 of which are skyscrapers standing over 492 ft (150 m) tall. It’s an impressive portfolio of real estate, putting NYC as the number two destination globally for such towers, only behind Hong Kong. But while some of the buildings have dominated the skyline seemingly forever, it’s also a landscape that is changing fast. New projects coming online will be among the city’s tallest, and they will dramatically alter any view of Midtown of Lower Manhattan for future onlookers....