Global Economy News and Headlines
Global Economy News and Headlines
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Every morning
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Oil prices slipped after President Trump reiterated his willingness to end the Iran conflict without tying it to the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz. Iranian officials responded with cautious optimism, saying they are ready to end hostilities but demand guarantees, while parliamentarians insist the strait will stay closed. The market remains above the $93 per barrel technical threshold, but a breach could expose the $78 support level. Traders are eyeing Trump’s upcoming televised address and a slate of U.S. economic releases for further direction.
Chinese banks have become the leading bilateral financiers of urban infrastructure in Africa’s fastest‑growing cities. Between 2000 and 2021 they committed roughly $37 billion to six major metros, with transport projects receiving over $17 billion and 74% of projects finished within two...
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said the war in Iran has created volatile global conditions, prompting the UK to seek closer security and economic cooperation with the European Union. He warned that rising energy costs could echo the 1970s oil...
Indonesia is preparing a progressive export levy on processed nickel products such as nickel pig iron and ferronickel. The tax starts at about 2% when LME prices sit between $15,000‑$16,000 per ton and can rise to roughly 10% as prices...
Indonesia posted a $1.27 billion trade surplus in February, up from $954 million in January but below the $2 billion-plus levels seen in the latter half of 2025. Imports rose 10.85% year‑on‑year to $20.89 billion, driven by a 33.68% surge in capital‑goods purchases. Consumer‑goods...
British universities are establishing campuses in India as part of a £40 billion (≈$53 billion) education export target by 2030. Nine institutions, including Southampton, Liverpool and York, now offer British‑accredited programmes at lower fees, responding to tighter UK visa rules that cut...
The Bank of England warned that the U.S.-Iran conflict could trigger a cascade of financial stresses, amplifying existing weaknesses in private‑credit markets and over‑valued AI‑focused stocks. A negative supply shock is tightening financing conditions, raising the risk of simultaneous credit...
Bahrain circulated a revised U.N. Security Council draft on protecting commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz, keeping language that authorises “all necessary means” while dropping an explicit Chapter VII reference. The change aims to avoid a Russian or Chinese veto...
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UAE Energy Minister Suhail al‑Mazrouei warned that Iran’s actions in the Strait of Hormuz could hold global trade hostage, urging a unified international response. He highlighted the potential economic fallout if safe passage is not guaranteed and stressed the UAE’s...
Cuba’s economy is spiraling into a crisis deeper than the post‑Soviet collapse of the 1990s. Within weeks, the island lost its external energy imports and its primary sources of foreign earnings, including tourism and sugar exports. Manufacturing and other key...
India's rupee has slid another 5.5% this year, making it Asia's worst performer in 2025 and hovering around 95 per dollar. Rising Brent crude above $100 a barrel has added roughly $5 billion to India's monthly oil import bill, intensifying pressure...
Bank of Japan (BOJ) policymaker Kazuo Asada warns that rising oil prices are driving a stagflationary mix of higher inflation and weaker growth, posing a tough dilemma for monetary policy. Asada, a newly appointed member known for his Modern Monetary...
Oil prices have surged since Iran’s conflict closed the Strait of Hormuz, but analysts warn the rally may be just the beginning. Strategic petroleum reserves and inventory drawdowns have temporarily softened the shock, yet significant volumes of oil remain stranded...
Senator Win Gatchalian filed Senate Resolution No. 349 urging prudent fiscal management in the 2026 General Appropriations Act as global economic uncertainty rises from the ongoing Middle East conflict. He warned that a massive fuel price hike, driven by the crisis,...
Germany’s final manufacturing PMI for March rose to 52.2, up from the preliminary 51.7 and the prior month’s 50.9, signalling continued expansion. The index was buoyed by stronger output and new‑order growth as firms stocked up amid supply‑chain uncertainty. At...
The United States has granted Kazakhstan a waiver allowing it to keep transporting Russian crude oil to China until March 19, 2027. The decision follows a consultation with the U.S. Treasury and was announced by Kazakhstan’s energy ministry. The extension...
Mozambique has fully repaid its $701 million International Monetary Fund loan ahead of schedule, according to Standard Bank. The early settlement suggests the IMF’s planned August mission to the country is now unnecessary. Details of the repayment terms remain undisclosed, but...
Rubix Data Sciences' latest study shows that five Indian states—Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh, Karnataka and Gujarat—account for over 65% of the nation’s GDP and about 75% of exports. Maharashtra remains the largest economy, contributing roughly 13% of total output and reporting...
UK and European government bond yields plunged as oil prices fell 5% on optimism that the Iran war could end soon. German 10‑year yields slipped to 2.94%, the lowest level since March 18, while French and Italian yields each dropped more...
Oil prices plunged on Wednesday, with Brent June futures slipping 4.35% to $99.45 per barrel and U.S. WTI falling 3.99% to $97.34. The decline came despite signals that the U.S.-Iran conflict could be winding down, as investors reacted to lingering...
India's net GST collections rose 8.2% to Rs 1.78 lakh crore ($21.5 bn) in March 2026, with gross collections exceeding Rs 2 lakh crore ($24 bn). Refunds grew 13.8% to Rs 0.22 lakh crore ($2.7 bn), while domestic and import revenues increased 5.9%...
South Korea’s March exports surged 48.3% year‑on‑year, driven primarily by a 151% jump in semiconductor shipments and sharp price gains in computers and SSDs. The trade surplus expanded to $25 billion, up from $15 billion a month earlier, while imports rose 13.2%...
The Indian government has extended the Remission of Duties and Taxes on Exported Products (RoDTEP) scheme until September 30, 2026, keeping refund rates of 0.3%‑3.9% unchanged. The fiscal allocation for the program was reduced to roughly $1.2 billion for 2026‑27, far below the...
Japan’s quarterly Tankan survey showed large manufacturers’ optimism index climb to 17 in Q1 2026, the strongest level since late 2021, while large non‑manufacturers maintained a multi‑decade high of 36. The upbeat readings lifted the Nikkei 225 by about 4.5%, reflecting hopes that...
The European Union announced on March 30 that it will extend its sanctions regime against Iran until April 13, 2027, citing persistent human‑rights violations. The package adds travel bans, asset freezes and a prohibition on exporting equipment that could be...
European governments are rolling out €200 billion (≈$215 billion) of fiscal relief to cushion households and energy‑intensive firms from soaring energy costs. The aid, delivered through cash transfers, tax rebates and temporary price caps, is deliberately narrow‑based and time‑limited, with most measures...
The European Union is weighing a Covid‑style emergency framework to tackle a looming energy crisis sparked by the war in Iran, including joint procurement of gas and electricity. EU officials have convened rapid meetings to align policy responses, borrowing tactics...
Europe has long trailed the United States in equity performance, prompting investors to question what conditions could spark a continental rebound. In a MoneyWeek interview, Daniel Avigad, manager of the TM Lansdowne European Special Situations fund, outlines where he sees...
The U.S.-Israeli war with Iran has slashed oil and LNG flows through the Strait of Hormuz to roughly five percent of normal levels and damaged Qatar's Ras Laffan LNG plant, threatening a $20 billion annual export loss. Gulf states face immediate economic...
Malaysia’s food prices could surge as much as 50% after an energy shock tied to the Iran war drives fuel costs higher. Traders report raw ingredient prices already up 20‑30% before the fuel jump, forcing hawkers and restaurants to consider...
Fintech Verto’s CEO Ola Oyetayo says Nigeria’s recent naira volatility has pushed businesses toward USD‑backed stablecoins for cross‑border trade. Traditional banking liquidity dried up, prompting payment providers to use mixed local and global pools and dynamic pricing. The Central Bank...
The war in the Middle East has pushed Brent crude above $100 a barrel, threatening diesel‑dependent Pacific economies. Fiji could see its imported fuel bill jump $670 million by 2025—about three times its annual healthcare budget—while Vanuatu faces a potential $120 million...
Australia’s manufacturing PMI slipped to 49.8 in March, pushing the sector back into contraction for the first time since early 2024. New orders fell for the first time in five months while production declined for a second straight month, reflecting...
Foreign investors withdrew a record $19 billion (≈₹1.6 lakh crore) from Indian equities in FY26, marking the second consecutive year of outflows. Domestic institutions countered the sell‑off with a historic $102 billion (≈₹8.5 lakh crore) inflow, led by mutual funds, pension funds and insurers. The rupee’s 4 %...
The Singapore Exchange (SGX) will debut Asia‑Pacific government bond futures on 20 April, covering sovereign bonds from India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand and the Philippines. The contracts, margined and settled in US dollars, offer three maturities—three, five and ten years—based on FTSE Russell’s...
Georgian firm George Oil Ltd signed a contract to import coal, metals and chemical products from the Russian‑occupied Donetsk region, planning domestic use and exports to India and Turkey. The deal arrives despite the EU’s full ban on Russian and...
Russia announced it is prepared to supply fertilizers and other agricultural products to countries in the Global South and East, citing the recent closure of the Strait of Hormuz. The blockage has halted roughly 50% of global fertilizer exports and...
Mark Leonard’s new book *Surviving Chaos* argues that the post‑Cold‑War rules‑based order is collapsing, citing the wars in Ukraine, tensions over Iran and the disruptive foreign policy of Donald Trump. He describes a shift toward a multipolar "un‑order" where great...
Saudi Arabia is accelerating its shift from oil to energy storage, earmarking $64 billion in mining revenue by 2030 and targeting 48 GWh of domestic battery capacity. The kingdom aims to challenge China’s dominance by developing lithium‑metal technology and exploiting its own...
Thai food exports are projected to fall 7.3% year‑on‑year to 1.4 trillion baht (about $39 billion), potentially hitting a five‑year low. The first quarter is expected to plunge 11.5% to 306 billion baht ($8.6 billion) as Middle‑East conflicts disrupt Gulf shipments and re‑exports via...
Thailand’s baht hovering between 30 and 32 per U.S. dollar threatens tourism competitiveness, with a worst‑case scenario of a stronger baht (>30/USD) potentially eroding 15‑17% of revenue. The Thai Hotels Association projects Songkran holiday bookings to fall 5‑10% year‑on‑year as...
Over the past five decades Ireland has transformed into the world’s third‑largest pharmaceutical exporter, with drug manufacturing now contributing roughly 20 % of its GDP. The sector’s rapid growth was driven by generous tax incentives, a skilled workforce and proximity to...
Japan's unemployment rate fell to 2.6% in February, marking the first decline in seven months. Employment rose modestly to 68.27 million while the pool of job seekers shrank to 530,000. Layoffs dropped 4.4% and voluntary quits fell 7.3%, indicating a modest...
The Iran‑Russia war has reignited a supply‑side shock, pushing 10‑year Treasury yields up about 35 basis points to roughly 4.30%, the steepest monthly decline since President Trump returned to the White House. The closure of the Hormuz Strait, which carries...
U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer told Bloomberg that cabinet members will not travel to Beijing ahead of the anticipated mid‑May Trump‑Xi summit, diverging from the usual pre‑summit diplomatic routine. The comment follows a White House statement suggesting cabinet‑level engagements would...
Philippines and China signed the July 2024 Provisional Understanding on Second Thomas Shoal after a June 2024 violent boarding that exposed Beijing’s coercive tactics. Despite extensive transparency campaigns and diplomatic talks, Chinese water‑cannon and boarding actions escalated, prompting Manila to demonstrate national...
The U.S. Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control removed three Russian‑flagged vessels—container ships Fesco Moneron and Fesco Magadan and cargo ship Sv Nikolay—from its Specially Designated Nationals list. The ships, sanctioned in 2022 for ties to state‑linked banks, were delisted...
New York Harbor briefly became a net diesel exporter as traders shifted ultra‑low sulfur diesel (ULSD) shipments to Europe. A sharp rise in northwest European jet fuel prices created a price arbitrage window, flipping the usual discount relationship between European...
The Iran‑Israel‑U.S. war has driven Brent crude to its highest level since 2022, rattling global markets. Despite a 5% quarterly dip in the Hang Seng, China’s large strategic crude reserves and aggressive renewable‑energy rollout keep its growth outlook intact. Renewable‑energy...
Bitcoin surged past $68,000 on March 31, spurred by Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian’s remarks that Tehran could end the Iran‑US‑Israel conflict under certain conditions. The broader cryptocurrency market gained roughly $40 billion, with Ethereum climbing to about $2,100. Simultaneously, U.S. equities...
