📈#077: McDonald's wins (+32%) while Coca-Cola crashes (-28%) in global sentiment war

Welcome to Market Mosaic, where, in this week's edition, we dig into China's commanding 25-city robotaxi leadership versus America's 5-city presence and explore how tax arbitrage from 0% to 40% rates is challenging global consumer pricing.

We also analyse why 70% of US brands are having a tough time in international appeal amid rising geopolitical tensions.

Also, register to join us this Thursday for our Market Mosaic webinar here on “how AI and market feedback drive product innovation.”

Let’s now dive into the insights and stories.

— Insights Team, Rwazi

In our edition this week:

• Sector Performance Tracker

• Technology

• Economy

• Consumer Universe

• Supply Chain
  

Our data analysis shows that China has emerged as the undisputed leader in robotaxi development and deployment, with companies like Apollo, WeRide, and Pony.ai operating across 25+ major cities compared to Waymo's 5-city presence in the US.

Consumer sentiment data shows remarkable acceptance of autonomous vehicles in Chinese markets, with 78% of urban consumers expressing willingness to use robotaxi services regularly. This contrasts with 52% acceptance rates in US markets, where safety concerns and regulatory hesitation continue to dampen enthusiasm.

The global expansion is evident with services now operational in Seoul and Abu Dhabi, indicating that autonomous transportation is becoming a consumer expectation rather than a novelty.

Our comprehensive analysis of corporate tax burdens across 132 countries shows stark disparities that are increasingly influencing business location decisions and consumer pricing strategies.

The data shows that small businesses face different tax environments, from 0% in tax havens like the Bahamas, Bahrain, and UAE, to 40% in Guyana. China's competitive 5% rate has contributed to its manufacturing appeal, while traditional business hubs like the US (21%) and Germany (15.83%) maintain moderate positions.

Consumer impact analysis also indicates that businesses operating in high-tax jurisdictions are 34% more likely to pass costs to consumers through higher pricing. However, companies benefiting from low-tax environments show 23% greater price competitiveness in global markets.

A concerning trend has emerged in global consumer sentiment toward American brands, with 70% of US companies we analysed experiencing declining favorability ratings since January.

FedEx (-37%), WB/Discovery (-31%), and Coca-Cola (-28%) have experienced the steepest declines, while only McDonald's (+32%) and Meta (+11%) have maintained positive momentum. The "Buy Canadian" movement exemplifies this trend, with Canadian consumers actively boycotting US products in favour of domestic alternatives.

Regional analysis shows the most significant sentiment declines in Canada (-45%), Mexico (-38%), and several European markets (-25% average). Interestingly, Asian markets show more resilience, with only -12% average decline, suggesting geopolitical proximity amplifies consumer reactions.

Our analysis of the global supply chain for energy transition minerals shows dangerous concentration risks that threaten consumer access to clean technology products and potentially drive significant price volatility.

China's dominance is overwhelming: 100% of natural graphite processing, 90% of rare earth processing, and 74% of cobalt processing. This concentration creates consumer vulnerability, as disruptions could severely impact electric vehicle availability, smartphone production, and renewable energy installations.

Consumer price sensitivity analysis shows that supply chain disruptions in these minerals could increase end-product costs by 15-40%. For example, lithium supply constraints have already contributed to 23% higher EV battery costs in the past year, directly impacting consumer adoption rates.

Join us this Thursday as we hold our Market Mosaic webinar on “Building with Data: How AI and market feedback drive product innovation.”

Alongside a high-level panel, this session will explore how today’s most forward-thinking companies can leverage AI and real-time consumer market data to inform product decisions, accelerate iteration, and drive growth across global markets.

Platform: LinkedIn Live
Date: Thursday, July 31, 2025
Time: 3 PM (GMT)

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Thank you for reading and joining us on Market Mosaic this week. We hope this edition provides valuable, actionable insights for decisions with data. 📊

Here are the insightful visuals we shared on LinkedIn. Feel free to check them out, comment or repost if it hits home for you.