Page 75 - Bloomberg Businessweek - November 19, 2018

Bloomberg Businessweek The Year Ahead 2019

What We Got Right (and Wrong) in 2018

▷ Some spot-on predictions and things we didn’t quite see coming

Right Kinda Right Kinda Wrong Wrong

● TECH ● MIDTERMS ● ENERGY ● INDIA

We said: Big tech companies We said: President Trump’s sagging We said: We said: “The Reserve Bank of
will be fined. ratings give the Democrats hope India is likely to cut interest rates,
for overturning the GOP majority Saudi officials fueling a rebound.”
What happened: Google paid a for the first time since 2006.
record $5.1 billion fine in an Android say Aramco is What happened: The RBI
antitrust case, and Apple started What happened: Five out “on track” for a raised rates half a percentage
paying the $15.4 billion in back of the six districts we focused point, fearing inflation wasn’t
taxes it owes Ireland. on flipped. $1 trillion IPO. under control.

● ECONOMY ● MARKETS
What happened:
We said: We said: “Even if the global The offering looks
economy does well in 2018,
“The world financial markets might not.” far less likely, with
economy should What happened: While U.S. markets investors skeptical Bloomberg Businessweek (USPS 080 900) November 19, 2018 - January 6, 2019 (ISSN 0007-7135) H Issue no. 4593 Published weekly, except one week in January, February, April, June, July, September, and December, by Bloomberg L.P. Periodicals postage paid at New York, N.Y., and at additional mailing offices. Executive, Editorial, Circulation
grow nicely again have eked out a tiny gain, the FTSE, of the hoped-for
DAX, and Nikkei were down 8.5 per-
in 2018.” cent, 11.5 percent, and 4 percent, valuation. MBS now
respectively, as of Nov. 14.

96 says: “late 2020,
What happened: early 2021.”
The IMF estimates ● 5G

global growth of ● CYBERSECURITY We said: Standards for super-
3.7 percent in 2018, We said: The next big cyberattack fast wireless are “poised to be
determined” this year.
same as 2017. could affect U.S. utilities and
nuclear power plants. What happened: Global standards
remain under development, but 4G
● POLITICS What happened: There’s only is still really fast!
scattered evidence that utilities are
BOLSONARO: MARCELO CORREIA/CAMERA PRESS/REDUX; EURO: ABDULSELAM DURDAK/ANADOLU AGENCY/GETTY IMAGES;
We said: Presidential elections being targeted. ● CHINA
VIRGIN GALACTIC: RICKY CARIOTI/ THE WASHINGTON POST/GETTY IMAGES; RBI: PUNIT PARANJPE/AFP/GETTY IMAGES
in Mexico and Brazil could take
radical turns. ● BREXIT We said: The

What happened: Mexico zigged We said: There are three country’s
left with Andrés Manuel López scenarios under which Brexit
Obrador; Brazil zagged right with could be undone. policymakers
Jair Bolsonaro. are expected to
What happened: The U.K. is still
limping toward an exit. “tamp down on
● EUROPEAN CENTRAL BANK credit growth”
● SPACE
We said: We said: Commercial spaceflight is as President
A turning point about to “get real.” Xi Jinping focuses
could come in What happened: Rocket Lab, Virgin on “defusing
September, when Galactic, and Boeing have all pushed financial risks.”
their dates back for orbital flights.
the ECB “might stop
or curtail monthly What happened:
● COMPANIES bond purchases.” The trade war

We said: Nintendo will be one and an economic
to watch. What happened: slowdown forced

What happened: The success of The purchases the Chinese to
the Switch attracted third-party
game developers. end in December. loosen credit.