Update: well, we did not party like 2019… There were only 22,500 spectators in the Last Row party on Friday. And, per Penske’s directions, attendance was 142,000 (tickets were limited to about 135,000, plus all the support staff for the race). Although we’re certain Helio isn’t exactly disappointed about the reduced purse size. Here is to a full-on 2022! Indianapolis 500 is here and this year with proper spectators allowed!

Indianapolis 500 is here and this year with proper spectators allowed! After last year’s hiatus in proper attendance at the Brickyard, the 105th edition of 2021 appears to be back in full force. This year’s qualifying was as exciting as ever, with only 0.03mph separating the pole sitter and 2008 winner Scott Dixon, who became the 5th driver in history to secure pole position 4 times, ahead of runner-up Colton Herta, who at 21 years old is 20 years younger than Scott and almost became the youngest Indy 500 pole sitter in history!

Office properties and office leasing companies like WeWork are watching very closely the speed with which employees return to the office. The question at large remains: is the work from home (WFH) phenomenon here to stay, or will it prove to be only temporary for most? Using Advan’s mobile phone location data, these questions can be answered. Our platform tags every device to a home and work location each month, providing insight on whether or not employees work from home or at a separate office location.

For years, Apple has been a force to reckon with. Many retail brands have seen their share of discretionary spending lost, as consumers prefer that new iWatch to some other luxury item, be it clothing or accessory. But, is that trend here to stay? Has the consumer had enough of virtual items during the pandemic, and is sporting a new iPhone as big of a fashion statement as it used to be a couple of years ago?

One of the largest moves we have ever seen in our data is that of gas station visitors and miles driven. Americans drive more now than they ever did, pre-pandemic and all. What is the best way to trade this data? According to the analysis below, Gasoline Futures. This is the RBOB Gasoline front month index, on a year over year change basis, overlaid with Advan’s foot traffic at all US Gas Stations, also on a year over year basis.

The oldest continuously held major sporting event in the United States, the Kentucky Derby had enjoyed steady growth from 2016 to 2019, but in 2020… well, we all know what happened last year. As the world opens up, it’s interesting – not just for Churchill Downs, but to understand the sentiment of all Americans – to see how the attendance at the Derby is shaping up this year. Here we are showing Advan’s measured attendance for each Thursday prior to Derby Day (traditionally the first Saturday in May) in order to compare with the last available data point: yesterday, Thursday April 29, 2021.

With all the adults over 16 now being eligible for COVID-19 vaccines, the U.S. is on track to vaccinate 70% of its population by mid to late June. The vaccination pace has been significantly increased on a weekly basis since the start back in the second half of December 2020, hitting now an average of over 3 million Americans getting vaccinated daily. In regards to the new COVID-19 cases, after the recent drop from the pick in January new cases have been plateaued, and most recently have started to tick up a bit.

After a year of virus-related travel restrictions and with Covid vaccinations picking up steam nationwide, Americans are feeling more comfortable to get out of town, fact that is causing a surge in post-vaccination travel. Using our proprietary geolocation data, we can see the sudden increase in travel-related indexes, a sign that consumers are ready to travel again. US airlines reported an increase in airfare activity as restrictions started to ease more across states.

Following the recent news that Ford is expected to halt production for two weeks in April due to chip shortages, and given our recent study on this exact subject few months back we wanted to take a closer look and quantify how the largest US carmakers and the industry as a whole is currently affected. Employee counts are often times the right metric produced by our foot traffic data to analyze industrial companies.

One year after the initial lockdowns and stay at home orders across the groble, Americans are now driving a lot more, as measured by our miles driven index. More specifically, the last three weeks Advan’s miles driven index captured an increase in traffic as high as 40% nationwide compared to the pre-pandemic levels in February 2020. As the vaccines are being rolled out people’s confidence is picking up and in combination with certain COVID-related restrictions being lifted and the advent of Spring and Spring breaks, everyone seems to be making up for lost travel.