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Mar 7, 2025 | Currencies

Solana SOL/USD price history up until Mar 6, 2025

Following NFT hype and growing demand in the DeFi community, the price of cryptocurrency Solana or SOL more than tripled during the summer of 2021. This had all but evaporated by the end of 2022, as a price of 143.36 U.S. dollars for SOL on March 6, 2025 was similar to the price of Solana in early 2021. The collapse of crypto trader FTX in 2022 especially impacted the cryptocurrency, as FTX and its sister firm Alameda Research sold a large amount of the coin in order to avoid bankruptcy. The Solana protocol is similar to Ethereum in that can allow for nun-fungible tokens to be created ('minted') or traded. Solana, however, uses a technology called 'PoH' or Proof of History, which allows it to reach high transaction speeds. The Solana Foundation - the creators of the protocol, based in Switzerland - claims they could reach up to 65,000 transactions per second compared to 16 for Ethereum. Additionally, Solano had no transaction fees or 'gas', unlike Ethereum, which had growing transaction costs. These two reasons combined - Solana being deemed cheaper and faster than Ethereum - turned this relatively young protocol into a breeding ground for NFT projects in August 2021.

Mar 3, 2025 | Online Retail

E-commerce revenue worldwide 2019-2029, by segment

Over the forecast period until 2029, the revenue is forecast to exhibit fluctuations among the 13 segments. Overall, the indicator appears to follow a positive trend, as there are more increasing values than decreasing values expected in the individual segments until 2029. Among them, the segment Food achieves the relatively highest value throughout the entire period, reaching 1.23 trillion U.S. dollars.

The Statista Market Insights cover a broad range of additional markets.

Mar 3, 2025 | TV

Number of Academy Awards TV viewers 2000-2025

In 2025, around 18.1 million Americans watched the Academy Awards ceremony. Oscars viewership fluctuates year by year, however, the last time the ceremony drew in a U.S. audience of more than 40 million was back in 2014. The figure recorded in 2021 was the lowest yet, and marked a drop-off of over 50 percent from the 2020 audience. 

Viewership of awards ceremonies can depend on multiple factors, ranging from personal preferences to overall interest in nominees, as well as how much coverage is devoted to the ceremony before and during its broadcast. Interest in upcoming events in the media industry is often generated via social media, which can be extremely effective in generating discussions, interactions, and general awareness.

In 2018, the Academy Awards were mentioned 2.5 million times on social media during the ceremony, and have also proved to be some of the most popular TV specials on Twitter in recent years. Conversely, a survey held in early 2019 revealed that 19 percent of U.S. adults had not come across any news coverage for the 2019 Academy Awards at all.

Mar 6, 2025 | Economy

U.S. trade balance 2000-2024

As of 2024, the United States had a trade deficit of about 918 billion U.S. dollars. The U.S. trade deficit has increased since 2009, peaking in 2022. Most recently, 2023 marked the year when the U.S. trade deficit decreased from the previous year. 

What is trade deficit?

A trade deficit is, quite simply, the total value of a country’s imports of goods and services minus the total value of its exports of goods and services. When a country exports more than it imports, it has a trade surplus, and when it imports more than it exports, it has a trade deficit. A trade deficit can mean one of two things: Either the country is failing to produce enough goods for its citizens, or its citizens are wealthy enough to purchase more goods than the country produces (as is the case with the United States).

Trading partners

The United States’ top export partners are its closest neighbors, Canada and Mexico, due in part to the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), which, pending ratification, will be replaced by the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA). Regarding imports to the U.S., China takes the top spot, followed by Mexico and Canada.

Mar 3, 2025 | Apps

Leading apps in China 2024, by monthly active users

In December 2024, Tencent’s super app WeChat remained the most popular mobile app in China with around 1.15 billion monthly active users (MAUs). Its older instant messaging sibling QQ climbed to second, with about 840 million MAUs. Messaging, e-commerce, utility, and video streaming apps occupied the most spots in the top 20 list. 

WeChat is a multi-functional app beyond messaging and social networking. From mobile payment and taxi-hailing to making appointments and holiday planning, it provides almost everything to every mobile user in China. WeChat users are from various age groups from teenagers to old adults. In general, most WeChat users spent at least 10 minutes per day on the app. In fact, many companies also use this "super app" to advertise their brands, and its business version Wecom to communicate internally.

The rise of short video entertainment is another important trend in the world’s second most populous country, especially in rural regions. ByteDance’s Douyin, which TikTok was cloned from, is one of the key players in the Chinese short video arena. Founded in 2016, Douyin had overtaken its imminent rival Kuaishou (Kwai) as China’s top short video app within four years. As the demand for rural life live streaming has been accelerating, industry experts expected that Chinese short form video market would continue to grow to reach a total revenue of 420 billion yuan by 2024.

Mar 4, 2025 | Japan

Monthly consumer confidence in Japan 2025

In February 2025, consumer confidence in Japan reached 35 index points.

The index is based on a representative survey of Japanese households (excluding one-person households). They are asked to give their assessment of the areas of quality of life, income growth, employment and propensity to durable goods. From the responses, the overall index is calculated; seasonal adjustment via X-12-ARIMA. An index value above 50 indicates a positive mood of consumers, a reading below 50 points to a negative assessment.

Mar 3, 2025 | Financial supervision

EU central bank interest rates 2022-2025, by country

European Union central banks navigated a complex economic landscape between 2022 and 2025, with interest rates initially rising across member states. However, a pivotal shift occurred in late 2023 as most countries began lowering their rates, reflecting the delicate balance between controlling inflation and supporting economic growth. In the Euro area, the European Central Bank (ECB) led this trend by cutting interest rates from 4.5 percent to 3.15 percent in 2024, implementing four strategic rate reductions throughout the year. This approach was nearly universally adopted, with Poland being the sole EU country not reducing its rates during this period.

The interest rate changes in the EU mirror similar movements in other major economies. The United States, United Kingdom, and European Union central banks followed remarkably similar patterns from 2003 to 2024, responding to shared global economic conditions. After maintaining near-zero rates following the 2008 financial crisis and the COVID-19 pandemic, these institutions sharply raised rates in 2022 to combat surging inflation. By mid-2024, the European Central Bank and Bank of England initiated rate cuts, with the Federal Reserve following suit.

Despite the overall trend, individual EU countries have adopted diverse strategies. Hungary, for instance, set the highest rate in the EU at 13 percent in September 2023, gradually reducing it to 6.5 percent by September 2024. In contrast, Sweden implemented the most aggressive cuts, lowering its rate to 2.25 percent by February 2025, the lowest among EU members. These divergent approaches highlight the unique economic challenges faced by each country and the flexibility required in monetary policy to address specific national circumstances.

Mar 7, 2025 | Politics & Government

Donald Trump levels of support for a state visit to the United Kingdom 2019-2025

Donald Trump was invited for a second state visit to the United Kingdom by the British Prime Minister, Keir Starmer on February 27, 2025, which Trump accepted, although it is unknown when this will happen. Ahead of Trump's first state visit in 2019, the visit was supported by 46 percent of people in Britain, and opposed by 40 percent. In March 2025, 43 percent of people supported Trump's second state visit, with 42 percent opposing it. 

Mar 4, 2025 | Currencies

Cities in Australia with a Bitcoin ATM March 2025

Bitcoin ATMs in Australia are mostly found in the country's two biggest cities, Sydney and Melbourne. Brisbane had the third-highest number ATMs, closely followed by Perth in March 2024. These dispensers are different from traditional cash machines in that they do not connect to a bank account but connect users to a Bitcoin wallet or exchange. This way, they can convert physical money into digital currency. Australia was ranked as one of the leading countries worldwide in terms of Bitcoin ATMs.