Taking the Capital out of Capitalism

Technology is making prices and value more transparent allowing for the development of new business models that rent out excess capacity, and as a corollary, making the need for capital less important than it was before (WSJ):

A second wave of online rental sites is catching fire with consumers and investors, with start-ups like spare-room market Airbnb Inc., textbook lender Chegg Inc. and fashion outfit Rent the Runway following the success of pioneers like Netflix Inc. and Zipcar Inc.

While many of the companies took off during the frugal days of the recession, they are continuing to do well in a climate where consumers remain cautious about paying full price for things they don't need or want to own.

More on how the web is bringing liquidity and transparency to previously illiquid assets (TechCrunch).