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Welcome to yet another insightful edition of Market Mosaic.
This week, 7.7% of US adults use agentic AI, even though 40.1% would let an agent handle a task, and India leads the G20 growth race, forecast at 6.4% for 2026.
We also looked at how shoppers plan to spend 5.5% less this holiday season, and how Asia-to-Europe container rates fell for a 13th straight week.
Ask the Desk, our latest AI tool, for data-driven insights on what they mean for your business and market.
Insights Team, Rwazi
Only 7.7% of US adults use agentic AI today, yet 40.1% would let an agent handle a task
In a June survey of 7,675 US adults, 7.7% said they use agentic AI today, and 67.6% had never heard of it. Even so, 40.1% would let an AI agent handle at least one everyday task.
Willingness drops once the stakes rise, from 12.1% for booking a restaurant and 11.0% for buying groceries to 5.0% for buying a car. Only 17.6% call agents a good idea, while 41.8% say no and 40.6% are unsure.
Key Insights
A trust gap holds agents back: 40.1% would try one, yet only 17.6% call the idea good, so low-stakes jobs like booking a table (12.1%) will move before buying a car (5.0%). See how your own AI adoption plans compare.
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Chart: 2026 real GDP growth forecasts across G20 economies, July 2026. Data visualization by Market Mosaic.
India and Indonesia lead G20 growth in 2026 while Germany, France, and Italy all stay below 1%
July forecasts put India first in the G20 at 6.4% growth for 2026, followed by Indonesia at 5.0% and China at 4.6%. Only 4 of the economies ranked, including Argentina at 3.5%, beat the 3.0% world average.
The US sits at 2.3%, ahead of Canada at 1.1% and the UK at 1.0%. Germany (0.7%), France (0.6%), Japan (0.6%), and Italy (0.5%) all land below 1%.
Key Insights
Growth is concentrating in emerging markets, with India's 6.4% nearly 13 times Italy's 0.5%, so plans built on a 3.0% world average will misjudge where demand is expanding. See how your own market growth assumptions compare.
Shoppers plan to spend 5.5% less this holiday season and are starting earlier
Americans plan to spend 5.5% less this holiday season, a drop back to 2024 levels, and 62% are shopping earlier to spread out costs. A separate survey of 3,534 consumers put average planned spending at $779, down from $796 a year earlier.
Saving habits are spreading, with 74% planning to buy store brands or cut discretionary items. Trust in discounts is thin: only 22% fully trust advertised savings, and while 50% use AI for holiday shopping help, only 16% would let it complete a purchase.
Key Insights
Shoppers are trimming budgets and starting earlier, with more than half planning to begin before Thanksgiving, so retailers should lead with clear everyday value over headline discounts. See how your own holiday pricing stacks up.
Asia to Europe container rates fell for a 13th straight week while New York stayed above $10,000
As of October 8, the global container index fell 2% to $4,351 per 40-foot container. Shanghai to New York eased 2% to $10,220; Shanghai to Los Angeles dropped 3% to $7,624; Rotterdam fell 2% to $3,337; and Genoa held at $3,696.
Rates from Asia to Europe have now fallen for 13 straight weeks as ships return to the Suez Canal route. Transpacific blank sailings are set to drop from 11 to 4 next week, which adds capacity, and carriers plan higher rates for late October, though it is unclear whether they will stick.
Key Insights
The East Coast premium is wide, with New York $2,596 above Los Angeles and $6,883 above Rotterdam, and 7 more transpacific sailings next week will test whether the late-October rate increases hold. See how your own routing costs compare.
Blu Dot surpasses 2,000% ROAS with self-serve CTV ads
Home furniture brand Blu Dot blew up on CTV with help from Roku Ads Manager. Here’s how:
After a test campaign reached 211,000 households and achieved 1,010% ROAS, the brand went all in to promote its annual sales event. It removed age and income constraints to expand reach and shifted budget to custom audiences and retargeting, where intent was strongest.
The results speak for themselves. As Blu Dot increased their investment by 10x, ROAS jumped to 2,308% and more page-view conversions surpassed 50,000.
“For CTV campaigns, Roku has been a top performer,” said Claire Folkestad, Paid Media Strategist, Blu Dot. “Comping to our other platforms, we have seen really strong ROAS… and highly efficient CPMs, lower than any other CTV partner we've worked with.”
Using Roku Ads Manager, the campaign moved from a pilot to a permanent performance engine for the brand.
The Mineral Everyone Forgets Until Their Driveway Freezes Over
Most people couldn't tell you what scandium is for, but everyone knows what happens when roads go unsalted. North America keeps running short, and Atlas Salt (TSXV: SALT) is building a shovel-ready mine in Newfoundland, three days by ship from Boston, with C$188 million in projected yearly free cash flow.
The ice cream shop that makes money when it's cold
28 Wishes sells ice cream in Los Angeles. Below 70°F, sales fall about 20%. So the owners put about $20 a day into Kalshi weather markets, taking the cold side. The days that keep customers away now pay something back. See how other owners are doing it
