Last year I wrote about 17 thought leadership ideas for 2017. And with the another calendar year in the rearview mirror, I wanted to offer my thoughts on updated versions of last year’s topics, as well as some new ideas to get your financial content marketing engine going in 2018.
The good news is that, as with last year, 2018 should provide no shortage of opportunities for you to show your expertise and weigh in on topics that your clients are curious about.
That’s why, in a series of blog posts, I’ve written about different white paper and other forms of thought leadership ideas for different segments of the investment management industry.
In my first blog post in this series, I covered six white paper ideas for institutional asset managers. In my second post, I wrote about six more ideas for private wealth managers.
Here, I provide six more ideas, but this time for financial marketers or investment professionals in the investment banking, private equity, and venture capital industries.
1. Tax Reform’s Impact on M&A Activity
The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, which lowers the corporate tax rate to 21% and includes incentives for companies to bring overseas cash back to the U.S., among other changes, could have a big impact on deal-making activity. On one hand, the savings could lead more companies to seek out acquisitions, stirring up the M&A market for a big year. On the other hand, limits on deductions for interest expense could cause some leveraged buyouts to become more expensive, putting downward pressure on valuations.
Also, new rules about repatriated income could influence the relative attractiveness of foreign and domestic acquisition targets for U.S.-based companies. It will be interesting to see how these dynamics play out.
2. The Future of Crossover Investing
The trend of mutual funds and other public investors “crossing over” into investing in late-stage private companies has been a major factor in the growing number of unicorns (i.e., private companies with $1 billion or higher valuations) over the past several years.
But some crossover funds began pulling back on these efforts in 2016 and this continued in 2017. This raises important questions about what the late-stage fundraising environment will look like in 2018 and beyond.
3. How New Technologies Are Disrupting “Boring” Industries
Everyone talks about how technology is disrupting every industry. Rather than using general phrases like “Uber-ization,” “Internet of Things,” “automation,” and “data analytics” to describe how non-technology industries are being “disrupted,” you should paint a picture of what these changes look like and how they actually deliver value for end-users.
By writing about tangible examples, rather than general themes, you will make it easier for readers to buy into—both figuratively and literally—your investment thesis.
4. LBO Activity in a Rising-Rate Environment
Private equity firms have gotten used to having access to extremely cheap sources of debt financing for most of the past decade. As interest rates increase, it will be interesting to see how this affects financing decisions, particularly in light of the new limitations on deductions for interest expense.
5. Volatility’s Impact on IPO the Market
While 2017 saw a recovery in the IPO market from 2016’s sluggish pace, it will be interesting to see what impact the spike in volatility in early 2018 has on IPO activity. A volatile market environment, paired with still-robust growth in equity and private equity markets, might keep many firms on the sidelines.
6. Blockchain and the Rise of Cryptocurrencies
The last 18 months have seen cryptocurrencies catapulted into the mainstream, with prices of popular cryptos like Bitcoin and Ethereum reaching nearly $20,000 in late 2017 before pulling back to about half those amounts.
The supreme volatility of these markets, as well as the currencies’ lack of government regulation, is enough to scare off most institutional investors. Nevertheless, experts expect blockchain, which is the underlying technology behind cryptocurrencies, to be a significant innovation moving forward.
Some project the technology will create a new foundation for global economic and social systems, with significant efficiencies expected to touch global supply chains, financial transactions, asset ledgers, and decentralized social networking. Many investors, however, remain in the dark on thee topics, making them valuable fodder for a white paper in 2018.
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That’s a wrap on our series of blog posts highlighting 18 white paper ideas for financial marketers for 2018. Download our free e-book that covers all 18 white paper ideas for 2018.
About the Author
Scott Wentworth is the founder and head financial writer at Wentworth Financial Communications. Scott and the team of writers and editors at WFC help professionals across the financial services industry build their brands by creating investment-grade white papers, bylined articles, newsletters, blogs, social media posts, and other forms of content marketing.