Welcome back to Market Mosaic.

To help you benchmark your strategy against top global performers, we are excited to introduce our latest engagement tool: the Business Intelligence Score.

In this week's edition, we unpack the widening gap between Big Tech's $4.2T market cap surge and the 1.1M job cuts reshaping consumer confidence. Particularly, how 63% of small businesses are navigating tariff pressures while consumers demand both lower prices and faster delivery.

Now, let's dive into our insights for this week.

— Insights Team, Rwazi

Understanding your decision-making skills is the first step to closing the gap between consumer behaviour and your business strategy.

Ready to find out where you stand?

The 7 largest tech companies reached a combined market cap of $22 trillion by December 5th, up 26.5% ($4.2T) year-to-date. However, this masks dramatic winners and losers.

Alphabet surged 67%, adding $1.56T in value, while Nvidia gained 35% ($1.14T) and Broadcom climbed 70%. These 3 companies accounted for 75% of the group's total gains. Our consumer data shows 79% of consumers now regularly interact with AI-powered features in search and productivity tools, up from 41% at year-start.

The contrast is stark with Apple, down 9% for the year. Our surveys reveal that 62% of potential smartphone upgraders cite AI capabilities as a primary consideration, yet only 34% believe Apple offers competitive AI features compared to Android alternatives.

Meta's 25% gain reflects successful AI personalisation. User engagement increased 18% year-over-year, with 67% of regular users spending more time on Meta platforms specifically due to improved AI-curated content.

Microsoft's modest 15% gain reveals consumer scepticism about AI monetisation. Only 41% of consumers who tried Microsoft's AI tools continue using them after 3 months, versus 68% retention for competing products.

Employers announced nearly 1.1M job cuts through October 2025, up 65% versus 2024, the highest since 2020. Government layoffs exploded 715% to 307,000 positions. Technology cuts rose 17% to 141,000, while warehousing surged 378% to 90,000 positions.

Our data analysis shows 63% of tech workers now express job security anxiety, up from 38% a year ago. The impact extends beyond those directly affected: 49% of employed consumers are increasing savings and reducing spending due to job loss concerns.

Consumer debt stands at $20.8T, but behaviour patterns show defensive positioning. Credit card utilisation decreased 7 percentage points year-over-year. 67% of consumers now view building emergency funds as their top priority, up from 52% at year-start.

Households directly affected by layoffs are cutting discretionary spending by an average of 32%. This spending pullback ripples through communities as economic anxiety spreads.

U.S. household assets reached $190.1T in Q1 2025. Financial assets (primarily stocks and ETFs) comprise 43% of total assets, while homes represent 27%. However, 61% of consumers describe themselves as financially stressed despite record asset levels.

The concentration in equities creates volatility stress. 68% of consumers with significant holdings check their portfolios weekly, and 41% check daily. This constant monitoring influences spending; consumers quickly curtail purchases when values decline.

On the liability side, mortgages represent 67% of the $20.8T in household debt. Student loans (9% of liabilities) significantly constrain spending, with 54% of borrowers reporting that these payments prevent major purchases they would otherwise consider.

Credit card debt represents only 6% of liabilities, but has an outsized psychological impact. 78% of consumers with credit card balances describe feeling stressed, and this stress directly correlates with reduced discretionary spending.

63% of small and medium-sized businesses report tariff impacts on operations. Among those affected, 44% are absorbing costs rather than risking stockouts or losing customers through price increases.

Our data analysis shows 73% of consumers actively price-compare before purchasing, and 59% will immediately switch suppliers if prices seem unfair. Small businesses recognise minimal margin for error in this environment.

Preference for offshore suppliers dropped from 31% in 2024 to 28% in 2025. 64% of consumers prefer domestically-sourced products when prices are comparable, though only 23% will pay significant premiums for domestic sourcing.

Inventory strategies have become riskier. 55% of SMBs now carry excess stock exceeding 20% of forecasted demand, up from 48% last year. Dead stock (inventory held over 1 year) increased from 12% to 17% of businesses experiencing this problem.

This is Question #4 from our Business Intelligence assessment. 40% of leaders get this wrong. 📉

👇 Vote below, then see the correct answer by taking the full quiz here

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