StratonomicsFrom Stratrix

The economics behind strategic decisions

One data story a week on the conditions companies decide in: where capital goes, who is entering, what prices and people cost. Told from public data, checked against it, and refreshed when the data moves.

Themes 51Published 0New edition every week

Every strategic decision is made against a backdrop: what competitors are spending, what capital costs, which industries are growing and which are being squeezed. Most of that backdrop is published by governments and regulators, free, on a schedule. Few people read it, because it arrives as tables.

Stratonomics turns those tables into stories a board can use. Each theme asks one question, answers it with public data, says what the answer means for the people making decisions, and comes back when the data updates.

01Public data, frozen

Each edition downloads its figures from the publisher (SEC, Federal Reserve, BEA, BLS, Census, OECD and others) and freezes them on that day.

02Every claim checked

No number is typed by hand. Every comparison the text makes in words is tested against the data before an edition is published.

03So what, up front

Each edition opens with what happened and what it means, then the evidence, the risks and what boards should do.

Weekly email

Get Stratonomics every week

One data story every Tuesday: what happened, what it means, and the figures you can quote. Free.

The themes

51 questions, each answered from public data

Each theme returns when its data updates: every quarter, every six months or every year. New themes are added each week.

Capital allocation

Where companies put their cash: building, buying, or handing it back.

ComingBuybacks vs CapexHow are large companies splitting their cash between building and buying back their own stock?SEC, Federal Reserve, BEA · every six months

ComingThe Investment MixAre businesses investing in equipment, buildings or intellectual property, and how does the US compare?BEA, OECD · quarterly

ComingR&D IntensityWhich industries are raising research spending as a share of sales?NSF, BEA, SEC, OECD · yearly

ComingDividends vs Retained ProfitsHow much of corporate profit is paid out, and how much is kept?BEA · quarterly

ComingThe Refinancing WallHow much corporate debt comes due, and at what rates?Federal Reserve, BIS · quarterly

ComingThe Cost of CapitalWhat does it cost companies to borrow, and how fast is that changing?Federal Reserve, ECB · quarterly

ComingBank Lending StandardsAre banks making it easier or harder for businesses to borrow?Federal Reserve, ECB · quarterly

ComingSmall-Business CreditCan smaller companies get the financing they apply for?Federal Reserve · yearly

Deals and portfolio

Acquisitions, spin-offs, listings and the money behind them.

ComingAcquisitions and DivestituresHow many companies are buying, selling and spinning off businesses, and in which industries?SEC, FTC and DOJ, UNCTAD · quarterly

ComingGoodwill Write-DownsWhat did past acquisitions cost in write-downs, and which industries paid most?SEC, BEA · yearly

ComingActivist StakesWhere are activist investors taking positions?SEC · every six months

ComingThe IPO WindowIs the market for new listings open, and for whom?SEC, Federal Reserve, World Bank · quarterly

ComingPrivate Capital by IndustryWhich industries are raising money privately, and how much?SEC, Census Bureau · quarterly

ComingPublic-Company MergersWhat are acquirers paying for public companies, and how?SEC · every six months

Margins and pricing

Who has pricing power, and what costs are doing to profits.

ComingCorporate Profit MarginsAre profit margins widening or narrowing, here and abroad?BEA, OECD · quarterly

ComingPricing PowerWhich industries are raising prices faster than their costs?Bureau of Labor Statistics · quarterly

ComingProfits by IndustryWhich industries are earning more on their sales, and which less?Census Bureau · quarterly

ComingTariffs and Import PricesHow much of the cost of tariffs is reaching prices?Bureau of Labor Statistics, Census Bureau · quarterly

ComingLabor Costs vs ProductivityIs productivity keeping up with what labor costs?Bureau of Labor Statistics, OECD · quarterly

ComingProductivity Leaders and LaggardsWhich industries are getting more output per hour, and which are falling behind?Bureau of Labor Statistics · yearly

ComingCorporate Tax Rates Around the WorldWhere are corporate tax rates heading, and where do companies pay least?OECD · yearly

Channels and business models

How customers buy and what they spend on.

ComingThe E-Commerce ShareHow much of retail has moved online, and is it still moving?Census Bureau, Eurostat · quarterly

ComingGoods vs ServicesAre consumers spending on things or on experiences?BEA · quarterly

ComingThe Fastest-Growing Service IndustriesWhich service industries are growing revenue fastest?Census Bureau · quarterly

ComingInventory DisciplineAre companies holding more stock than they sell?Census Bureau · quarterly

ComingHousehold Income and SavingsDo consumers have the income and savings to keep spending?BEA · quarterly

ComingWhat Consumers ExpectHow confident are consumers about prices, jobs and spending?University of Michigan, New York Fed · quarterly

ComingFreight VolumesIs the physical economy moving more goods or fewer?Bureau of Transportation Statistics · quarterly

Competition and market structure

Who is entering, who is leaving, and where supply is moving.

ComingNew CompetitorsWhere are new businesses entering fastest, in the US and in Europe?Census Bureau, Eurostat · quarterly

ComingBusiness Entry and ExitAre more businesses starting than closing, and in which industries?Census Bureau · yearly

ComingCommercial BankruptciesHow many companies are filing for Chapter 11, and which?US Courts, SEC · quarterly

ComingWho Is Patenting WhatWhich technologies and companies are filing the most patents?USPTO, WIPO · yearly

ComingThe Supplier ShiftWhich countries are gaining and losing share of US imports?Census Bureau, UN Comtrade · quarterly

ComingReshoring in ConcreteIs factory construction in the US actually rising?Census Bureau · quarterly

ComingForeign Investment into the USHow much are foreign companies investing in new US operations?BEA, UNCTAD · yearly

ComingFederal Contract WinnersWhich companies and industries win federal contracts?USAspending · yearly

People and control

Leaders, workforces, pay and the votes that hold them to account.

ComingCEO and CFO DeparturesIs executive turnover rising, and in which industries?SEC · quarterly

ComingRestructurings and LayoffsWhich industries are cutting jobs and taking restructuring charges?Bureau of Labor Statistics, SEC · quarterly

ComingThe Talent MarketWhere are people quitting and being hired fastest?Bureau of Labor Statistics · quarterly

ComingWage PressureWhich industries face the fastest-rising labor costs?Bureau of Labor Statistics, OECD · quarterly

ComingExecutive Pay vs Worker PayHow fast is executive pay rising against workers' pay?SEC, Bureau of Labor Statistics · yearly

ComingPublic-Company HeadcountAre large companies employing more people or fewer than the economy as a whole?SEC, Bureau of Labor Statistics · yearly

ComingShareholder Votes and Say-on-PayHow often are shareholders voting against management?SEC · yearly

Crisis and reinvention

Incidents, restatements, recalls and the shocks companies absorb.

ComingCyber Incidents DisclosedHow many companies report material cyber incidents, and what does it say about governance?SEC, CISA · quarterly

ComingRestatementsHow often do companies tell investors their past results cannot be relied on?SEC, PCAOB · every six months

ComingProduct RecallsWhich industries are recalling the most products?CPSC, NHTSA, FDA · every six months

ComingSupply-Chain PressureAre global supply chains tightening or easing?New York Fed, Bureau of Transportation Statistics · quarterly

Technology and expectations

Adoption, output and what executives and consumers expect next.

ComingAI AdoptionWhich industries use AI, and how fast is that changing?Census Bureau, OECD, Eurostat · quarterly

ComingWhat CFOs ExpectWhat do finance chiefs expect for prices, wages, hiring and investment?Duke and Richmond Fed CFO Survey · quarterly

ComingIndustrial Electricity CostsWhat are businesses paying for power, here and in Europe?EIA, Eurostat · every six months

ComingIndustrial OutputWhich industries are producing more, and which less?Federal Reserve, OECD · quarterly