LinkedIn profile for Mack Prioleau is here: Mack Prioleau LinkedIn

This profile contains various information, including education, interests, and work history.

Pictures of wild dogs taken in South Africa in 2015.  Very cool animals to see.

Elephants in South Africa- Picture slide show by Mack Prioleau

Pictures of Elephants taken in South Africa

Picture of Sunset in Tuscany

Here is a picture that I took of a nice sunset in Tuscany. This picture was taken from the porch of a castle-turned-hotel called Montalto, which is about 20 minutes outside of Siena. Montalto specializes in Agri-tourism, which lets guests stay out in agricultural areas and experience the country side.

The area around the castle is contains vineyards, olive trees, and other crops.

What Goes up Must Come Down: Points of Interest in Major Stock Futures

After the 1.3 percent surge in the main indexes, the U.S. stock futures—along with the European stock market—are now taking a step back. Here are some noteworthy events before the ringing of the opening bell in New York:

1. Staples and Office Depot shares are hurting in pre-market trading because of their decision to call off their merger. Last year, the Federal Trade Commission stated that antitrust laws would be violated if the two companies combine because they would own a big part of the office supply retail market.

Image source: mastimirchi.com

2. Disney wasn’t able to achieve expectations as it revealed its second quarter results. This could lead to a slumping of its shares and a dragging down of earnings in the company’s cable networks, parks, and resorts. Fossil Group shares are also set to crash after the company has stated that earnings were disappointing and that the strength of the U.S. dollar was negatively affecting sales. Video games developer Electronic Arts (EA), on the other hand, is looking for a rise in its shares after reporting that earnings exceeded expectations.

3. The world’s biggest automobile maker, Toyota, is estimating an $8.6 billion hit to its revenue because the Japanese yen has been gaining a better foothold. After the closing of Japan’s stock market, Toyota has forecasted that its operating profits will drop 40 percent in the current financial year.

Image source: cleartrade.com

4. Among the main companies that will be releasing quarterly results before the opening are Wendy’s and Macy’s.

Mack Prioleau studies at Vanderbilt University, majoring in Economics with minors in Corporate Strategy and Financial Economics. For more insights about finance and economies, subscribe to this blog.

Picture of Gar caught last month

Gar fishing  We went fishing, and I caugh this fresh-water Gar.  Definitely not the prettiest fish out there, nor the best eating. This one was released and will live to be caught another day.

Bright Future Ahead: Career Prospects for Economics Majors

A degree in economics offers a host of work opportunities to graduates. While the jobs don’t usually carry the title “economist,” the available positions employ the skills and expertise that economics majors have acquired during their collegiate and for some, even graduate level education.

With their skill in analyzing data and statistics and finding relationships, economics majors can find work in almost all industries today, especially with a lot of sectors now betting big on analytics. From government to retail to manufacturing, analytics has become the biggest game-changer for these industries in recent years. But if there is one industry that is truly embracing big data, then it is healthcare. A growing number of healthcare organizations are tapping analytics in their bid to reduce costs and improve care quality. Work opportunities are abundant for economic majors who want to build careers as analysts.

Image source: students.com.ng

Adept in contextualizing a financial situation and resolving a financial problem, economics majors are a perfect fit for the banking, insurance, and financial planning sectors. In fact, many graduates do gravitate towards financial careers. And the prospects of an enduring career and high earnings are realities in such work. The challenge now for economics graduates is to hone their skills further so that there will be more chances for them to move up the career ladder.

Of course, one of the most obvious career paths for economics majors is the business sector. Be it a startup, small business, or a big company, economics graduates, with their interest in learning news products, studying business models and strategies or finding new ways on how to grow profit, can find their niche in this sector.  


Mack Prioleau is pursuing an economics degree with minors in corporate strategy and financial economics at Vanderbilt University. A dean’s list student in three of his four completed semesters, he currently has a GPA of 3.71. For more on Mack, his studies, and his other interests, visit this website.