Pink's Bottom Line on Media, Money and Sports

Social media, the American consumer and French Open tennis

I hope everyone had a great weekend. Here’s today’s newsletter.

MEDIA: Social Media and Political Ads

A majority of Americans say political ads shouldn’t appear on social media platforms, according to a recent survey from Pew Research.

According to that poll, 54% don’t want any political ads on social media, 19% say some are ok while 26% say all political ads should be allowed.

(Note: Facebook says it won’t run political ads after October 27, a week before the general election. Twitter doesn’t run political ads.)

Pink's Bottom Line

Social media platforms have emerged as key battlegrounds for information dissemination for the upcoming presidential election.

The potential volume of information from political ads, though, would be a tiny fraction of the volume of content generated by users on these platforms.

As such, whether platforms run or ban political ads ultimately might not matter that much when it comes to reaching or influencing potential voters.

MONEY: Consumer Credit

Fewer consumer credit accounts — including credit cards, auto loans and mortgages — fell into hardship in August compared with July, according to a report from TransUnion, a credit reporting agency.

According to this report, for the fifth month in a row, the average balance that a consumer carried on a credit card declined.

However, for auto loans and mortgages, there were actually more accounts delinquent for 30 or more days, according to that same report.

Pink's Bottom Line

For a strong and stable recovery in the US economy, the consumer will be key as consumer spending accounts for upwards of 70% of all economic activity in the country.

While there is some encouraging news about the consumer from this report, the increase in longer-term delinquencies on auto loans and mortgages is worrying and could indicate a stumbling block in that road to recovery.

SPORTS: Men’s French Open Winner

The French Open tennis tournament begins today, and, not surprisingly, the favorite to win the men’s draw is defending champion and 12-time winner of the tournament, Rafael Nadal.

While Nadal is truly a remarkable clay court player — clay is the surface at the French Open — and his record at Roland Garros, the site of the tournament, is a staggering 93-2, I don’t think he'll win the tournament this year.

Pink's Bottom Line

I like Novak Djokovic, the world’s top ranked men’s player, to win the second French Open of his career and to increase his number of grand slam titles to 18.

A Djokovic victory at the French Open this year would put him two behind Roger Federer and one behind Rafael Nadal in the race for the most major titles in the history of men’s tennis.

Djokovic was disqualified from the US Open for hitting a tennis ball at a lines-person, but before that incident, he was playing some of the best tennis of his career and dominating the men’s tour.

I think he will pick up right where he left off before that disqualification and beat Nadal in the French Open final in two weeks.

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Jeremy Pink is former CEO of private-equity backed Broadcast Sports International where he led the company to a successful sale and exit during his tenure there. He is also a former CNBC executive in New York, London and Singapore. He currently serves as an advisor to companies in media, technology, sports and financial tech.

The information contained in this communication is strictly for general informational and entertainment purposes and is not meant to be construed as financial, investment, tax, or legal advice. This communication is not a solicitation to buy or sell any securities. I am not a financial advisor or offering professional advice of any kind. Users should not act upon the content or information found within this communication without first seeking professional advice appropriate for their individual situation. Decisions based on information contained in this communication are the sole responsibility of the user, and use of this communication and its contents constitutes an explicit understanding and acceptance of the foregoing disclaimers.