• Apple’s Fall Unveiling

Buzzfeed reported that on September 9, 2015 Apple’s (AAPL) will host its annual fall unveiling of new products.  While this date has not been confirmed by Apple Buzzfeed cited sources familiar with Apple.  CNBC reported that a new iPhone, Apple TV, and possibly an iPad Pro were to be announced.  If these are the only new products that Apple is releasing I believe this should be cause for concern.  Since Steve Jobs died Apple has not come out with a single revolutionary product and has not conquered any new markets.  The Apple Watch was, in my opinion, a testament of how Apple no longer sets the trends but rather follows them.

• Verizon Announces New Phone Plans

Verizon recently announced they will no longer be offering the option to subsidize a phone in return for signing a two-year contract.  Under the new plan options the consumer pays $20 per month per smartphone line and must choose between one of four data packages.

1. $30/month for 1GB of shareable data
2. $45/month for 3GB of shareable data
3. $60/month for 6GB of shareable data
4. $80/month for 12GB of shareable data

This announcement is a clear move to combat attacks by rival T-Mobile who made a similar move two years ago.

• China’s July Export Numbers Disappoint

China’s July export numbers added to China’s continuing economic troubles falling 8.3% versus the estimated 1%.  The decline in exports was led by demand from Japan falling 13%, the European Union 12.3%, and the United States 1.3%.  The common consensus surrounding numbers that come out of China is they are generally, at least to some degree, falsified.  This lends the question is the Chinese economy in much worse shape than China is letting on?