IT'S ONLY A MATTER OF TIME BEFORE APPLE ISSUES CREDIT CARDS. COMPARED TO MOST BANKS, THE WORLD'S FIRST COMPANY TO REACH A MARKET VALUE OF $1 TRILLION HAS MORE CASH AND GREATER GLOBAL INFLUENCE, SO WHY SHOULDN'T IT DO THINGS LIKE BANKS? APPLE IS PARTNERING WITH GOLDMAN SACHS ON CREDIT CARDS, WHICH HAS LONG BEEN SUPPORTED BY MANY OF APPLE'S SHAREHOLDERS. CARL ICAHN, WHO SOLD APPLE STOCK A FEW YEARS AGO DUE TO CONCERNS ABOUT ITS SALES IN THE CHINESE MARKET, TOLD ME THAT APPLE SHOULD HAVE BEEN A BANK AS EARLY AS 2013. BUT IT IS ALSO AN EXAMPLE OF A MARKET TREND KNOWN AS FINANCIALIZATION.THIS IS NOT A STRICT TERM, MAINLY USED BY SCHOLARS TO DESCRIBE THE RISE OF FINANCE AND FINANCE ORIENTED BEHAVIOR IN THE ENTIRE ECONOMY. THIS VAGUE TERM HAS A WIDE RANGE OF MEANINGS, INCLUDING CRITICISM OF COMPANIES PRIORITIZING SHAREHOLDER VALUE AND DISCUSSIONS ABOUT EXECUTIVES MANIPULATING THEIR BALANCE SHEETS TO IMPROVE SHORT-TERM PERFORMANCE. IT ALSO TARGETS COMPANIES THAT FOCUS ON FINANCE RATHER THAN THEIR CORE BUSINESS, AS WELL AS THOSE WITH HUGE DEBTS. THIS TREND IS UBIQUITOUS.