Prometheus Capital

New Year, New Markets: How the “New Year, New Me” Phenomenon Moves Money by Prometheus Capital A Calendar Turn That Drives Real Spending Every January, the global economy experiences a subtle but measurable shift. After t he excess of the holiday season, consumers do not simply stop spending—they redirect it. Gyms fill up, budgeting apps see surges in downloads, planners sell out, and self-improvement services enter their most profitable window of the year. While the phrase “new year, new me” is often dismissed as a tired cliché, the behavior behind it reflects a powerful and recurring economic pattern. The New Year functions as a collective reset, a rare moment when millions of consumers simultaneously reassess their habits, finances, and priorities. This reassessment translates directly into targeted spending. Unlike impulse-driven holiday shopping, January spending is intention-based. Consumers are not buying gifts for others; they are investing—at least emotionally—in future versio...

  How Santa Claus Became a Brand by Prometheus Capital From Saint to Symbol Every December, Santa Claus appears everywhere at once. He smiles from soda cans and storefront windows, waves from billboards and phone commercials, stands in shopping malls, and animates across television screens and social media feeds. He is simultaneously a mythic figure, a childhood fantasy, and a commercial symbol. Entire industries align their calendars around his arrival, and global supply chains move in anticipation of his annual return. Yet the Santa Claus we recognize today was not always this unified, familiar presence. The version of Santa that dominates modern Christmas did not emerge naturally from folklore alone. He was shaped, refined, and stabilized by business. Long before Santa became a brand, he existed as a fragmented collection of cultural traditions. His roots trace back to Saint Nicholas, a fourth-century bishop from what is now Turkey, known for quiet acts of generosity and gif...

Rudolph: The Story of a Discount Department Store That Created a Christmas Empire by Prometheus Capital Introduction: A Christmas Icon Born from Commerce Each season Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer is visible throughout the Christmas marketplace—on jumpers, decorations, gift wrap, music collections, advertisements, commercials and plastic figures in malls spanning from New York to Seoul. He is as crucial to the holiday’s imagery, as Santa Claus himself. However here comes the twist: Rudolph is not folklore. He is not mythology. He is not ancient tradition. He works in marketing. The retail powerhouse Montgomery Ward brought him to life in 1939 as a cost-cutting tactic—one that inadvertently gave rise to one of the most lucrative, iconic and lasting holiday figures, in history. This is the remarkable entirely factual tale of how a corporate marketing project turned into a billion-dollar Christmas symbol—and what it uncovers about the role of storytelling, branding and emotiona...

  What are Tariffs? by Prometheus Capital        Few economic tools have shaped nations, ignited political battles, and stirred public debate quite like tariffs. These simple taxes on imported goods—older than most countries that use them—have an uncanny way of resurfacing every few years in headlines, campaign speeches, and global market analyses. If you’ve been online from early 2024 through late 2025, you’ve seen tariffs thrown around like a buzzword. Politicians blame them, commentators praise them, and consumers quietly wonder why their groceries, electronics, or cars suddenly cost more this month than last. Tariffs aren’t new—but their impact on everyday life has been brought to the forefront of our economy as of late. Today, we’re taking a deep dive into what tariffs actually are, how they influence the economy, and why this centuries-old policy tool still has the power to shake markets, shift prices, and spark global tension. The Birth of an Econom...

From Chaos to Commerce: The Strange, Turbulent Origins of Black Friday  By Prometheus Capital Black Friday was not born from celebration, tradition, or clever marketing. It began as a problem — a local headache that eventually grew into a national economic phenomenon. The earliest roots trace back to post–Civil War America , when department stores like Macy’s and Eaton’s began hosting massive Thanksgiving parades to signal the official start of holiday shopping. Retailers agreed not to advertise Christmas sales until after Thanksgiving, which made the Friday after the holiday the natural “opening day” of the retail season. But the day’s modern identity began taking shape in 1950s Philadelphia . Every year, the Army-Navy football game drew tens of thousands of visitors into the city the day after Thanksgiving. Streets were clogged, stores were mobbed, and the police force was stretched so thin that officers dreaded the shift. They called the day “Black Friday” because the entir...

  Thanksgiving and the American Economy: How a Holiday Built on Gratitude Became an Economic Powerhouse By Prometheus Capital A Holiday That Lives at the Intersection of Culture and Economics Thanksgiving has always been a holiday about more than a meal. It is a pause in the year, a ritual of gathering, cooking, traveling, and reflecting that has shaped American identity for generations. But beneath the familiar warmth of turkey dinners and football games lies a fascinating story about the economy. The holiday does not simply reflect economic trends. It actively influences them, and in turn the economy reshapes travel, food, spending, and the way Americans celebrate. The Thanksgiving Table as a Mirror of the American Economy Every year, as families prepare for the holiday, an enormous wave of spending begins. Grocery stores surge with activity as millions buy turkeys, vegetables, desserts, and every ingredient that will go into the national feast. The scale is so large that e...