Global Economy News and Headlines
Global Economy News and Headlines
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Tuesday recap
EMAIL DIGESTS
Daily
Every morning
Weekly
Tuesday recap
Gold surged 2.6% on Tuesday, pushing COMEX June futures to $4,676.40 an ounce, while silver jumped 6.3% to $75.30. The rally followed Wall Street Journal reports that President Donald Trump is considering a diplomatic path to end the Gulf conflict and hand the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz to allies. The news weakened the U.S. dollar index, which fell to 99.93, and revived demand for safe‑haven assets. Goldman Sachs reiterated its forecast that gold could reach $5,400 before year‑end.
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The IS‑LM model, introduced by John Hicks in 1937, visualizes the interaction between the goods market and the money market by linking output and interest rates. The downward‑sloping IS curve reflects equilibrium where investment equals savings, while the upward‑sloping LM...
Amid the escalating Iran‑Israel conflict, Turkey is actively promoting itself as a regional stabilizer and potential mediator. Ankara has hosted Iranian officials, engaged Gulf states, and highlighted its ability to talk to all parties, while the EU Commission and the...
Berkshire Hathaway chairman Warren Buffett warned that the rise to nine nuclear‑armed states is reshaping global risk. He singled out Iran and North Korea, saying a bomb in Iran would make a nuclear disaster harder to avoid. Buffett predicted that...
India’s Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs (CBIC) has rolled out sweeping reforms to boost e‑commerce exports, effective April 1. The long‑standing Rs 10 lakh (≈ $12,000) value cap per courier consignment has been eliminated, allowing higher‑value shipments to move directly via courier....
The United States is sending a record agricultural delegation of 58 firms and industry groups to the Philippines from April 13‑16, aiming to convert the 2024 Trump‑era trade agreement into real export growth. The Philippines, the 10th‑largest market for U.S....
The Philippines narrowed its net external liability to $50.8 billion, or 10.4% of GDP, by the end of 2025, improving from $52.1 billion three months earlier. External assets grew 1% quarter‑on‑quarter, outpacing a 0.4% rise in liabilities, driven by higher reserve assets...
The article reflects on the Israel‑U.S.‑led war in the Middle East and its ripple effects on the global economy, especially energy markets. It argues that the conflict’s resource‑driven motives are exposing a worldwide vulnerability to oil price shocks. The author...
Operations at Oman’s Salalah port were suspended after a drone strike on Saturday, forcing a gradual restart this week. The disruption compounds existing schedule pressures from the broader Middle East crisis, prompting major carriers such as Maersk and Hapag‑Lloyd to...
India is set to receive its first Iranian crude cargo since 2019, with the Aframax tanker Ping Shun carrying about 600,000 barrels to Vadinar, Gujarat. The shipment follows a U.S. 30‑day waiver allowing Iranian oil sales on the water amid the...
The National Bank of Ethiopia kept its benchmark lending rate at 15 percent for a sixth consecutive meeting, maintaining a tight monetary stance as global oil prices surged to about $105 per barrel. The central bank cited inflation containment despite a...
A year after the Trump administration’s tariff wave, KPMG’s February 2026 survey shows U.S. firms facing shrinking margins, higher operational costs and a growing tendency to shift tariff burdens onto customers. Thirty‑four percent of companies now pass more than half of...
A year after the Trump administration’s sweeping tariffs, U.S. firms report falling margins and higher operational costs, prompting many to shift tariff burdens onto consumers. The KPMG survey shows 34% of companies now pass more than half of tariff costs...
EU legislators visited China for the first time in eight years, aiming to steady relations strained by trade imbalances, human‑rights disputes and Beijing's ties to Russia. The delegation, responsible for market and consumer protection, will discuss digital trade, e‑commerce fairness...
Warren Buffett warned that the banking system is showing signs of fragility as it becomes more intertwined with non‑bank players, urging the Federal Reserve to prioritize financial stability. He highlighted the risk that distress at one institution could quickly spread...
In his KangaNews address, Christopher Kent explained how the Reserve Bank of Australia’s Monetary Policy Board evaluates financial conditions every six weeks to set the cash rate. He defined financial conditions as the cost and availability of credit, exchange rates...
The blockade of the Strait of Hormuz has triggered a systemic shock to global energy flows, prompting Japan and South Korea to deepen bilateral cooperation on LNG security. Both nations’ top energy firms, KOGAS and JERA, signed an MOU enabling...
Lisa D. Cook, a Federal Reserve Governor and chair of the Committee on Financial Stability, reflected on the Fed’s evolving approach to systemic risk. She highlighted the Committee’s 2014 creation, the Financial Stability Report’s focus on four vulnerability channels, and the...
India has extended duty‑free imports of pigeon pea (tur) and black matpe (urad) through 31 March 2027, while maintaining a 30 percent tariff on yellow peas. The move follows a dip in domestic pulse production and anticipates supply risks from El Niño and the...
Wall Street opened higher on Tuesday as investors cheered a report suggesting a possible de‑escalation in the Middle East conflict. The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 325.6 points, or 0.72%, to 45,541.76. The S&P 500 gained 52.2 points, up 0.82% to...
U.S. suspension‑grade PVC (S‑PVC) prices surged over 55% since the Gulf war began, reaching $1,000‑$1,050 per tonne FOB Houston. In contrast, China’s carbide‑based S‑PVC rose about 36% to $815‑$900 per tonne FOB China, remaining cheaper to produce. Because roughly 80%...
The recent U.S.-Israel strike on Iran has choked the Strait of Hormuz, cutting off 40‑50% of China’s seaborne oil imports and adding pressure to an economy already in a three‑year deflationary slump. Beijing’s four‑month oil stockpile and a dual‑track sourcing...
Conflict in the Gulf has left roughly 1,900 commercial vessels stranded in the Strait of Hormuz, exposing a systemic failure in maritime ownership and regulation. Seafarers like India’s PK Vijay remain on abandoned ships such as the Mahakal without pay,...
The Pan‑African Payment and Settlement System (PAPSS) launched in January 2022 to slash the cost and delay of intra‑African payments by routing transactions in local currencies. Four years on it is live in 19 countries, linking over 160 commercial banks...
Italy denied US military aircraft permission to land at Sicily’s Sigonella base, underscoring a diplomatic rift. India’s diesel exports to Southeast Asia jumped to a seven‑year high, shipping roughly 1 million tonnes—about half to Singapore and 90% by Reliance Industries. The...
Canada is close to sealing a free‑trade agreement with the Mercosur bloc, potentially by September 2026. The deal would connect Canada with five South American economies—Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay—representing 282 million people and about $3 trillion in GDP. In 2024,...
The Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) is deepening trade alliances with African nations, creating a new South‑South growth corridor. GCC countries bring abundant capital, sovereign wealth funds, and advanced logistics, while Africa offers natural resources, arable land, renewable energy potential and...
The Lao National Assembly approved the first phase of a 562‑km standard‑gauge railway linking Vientiane with Vietnam’s Vung Ang deep‑water port. Phase 1A, a 147‑km stretch from the Thai border to the Laos‑Vietnam frontier, will be built under a 50‑year build‑operate‑transfer...
Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOc) raised its April official selling price for sulphur destined for the Indian subcontinent to $600 per tonne, a $70 increase from March. The ongoing closure of the Strait of Hormuz has cut roughly half...
Saudi state‑owned Folk Maritime announced it is pulling its India‑Gulf service out of the Hormuz corridor and redirecting the two 1,900‑TEU vessels to the Red Sea, focusing on Jeddah and Aqaba. The move follows the effective closure of the Strait...
The ongoing Middle East conflict is reverberating through the CIS region via higher oil prices, trade disruptions and imported inflation. Commodity buffers are cushioning the shock: Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan see stronger export prospects, while Armenia’s reliance on fuel imports makes...
South Africa’s government announced a temporary one‑month cut to the general fuel levy of R3 per litre (about $0.16) to cushion the shock from the Iran‑Israel conflict that has driven Brent crude up 55% in March. Despite the relief, diesel...
Bangladesh tightened its grip on the global denim trade in 2025, with shipments to the EU and US topping roughly US$2.6 bn. The country now leads these key markets, outpacing traditional suppliers such as Pakistan, Turkey, Vietnam and Mexico. Enhanced cost...
Taiwan posted a record 7.71% GDP growth in 2025, outpacing IMF and ADB forecasts. The island’s economy is powered by a booming semiconductor and AI sector, which lifted exports by 35% and pushed the TAIEX above a $32 billion valuation. Foreign...
The Treasury released the latest official GDP deflator series on 31 March 2026, covering historical index data from 1955‑56 through 2024‑25 and OBR‑forecasted values through 2030‑31. The deflator figures are drawn from ONS series L8GG (financial years) and MNF2 (calendar years), with...
Tariff volatility has shifted from occasional adjustments to continuous, rapid changes, forcing companies to abandon 12‑month planning cycles. John Burhans of Mercury emphasizes that speed and full‑chain visibility are essential to identify SKU‑level exposure within hours. Effective scenario planning now...
Turkey entered 2026 with a surge in market optimism, as the BIST 100 reached a record 13,867 points and the central bank trimmed its policy rate by 100 basis points to 37%. The government raised $3.5 billion through eurobond issuances, while...
European road freight operators are feeling a sharp rise in fuel costs tied to the Middle East conflict, which now represents up to 30% of their operating expenses. The International Road Transport Union warns this is a structural shift, not...
The Bank of England detailed its cross‑border resolution framework, highlighting lessons from the 2023 failures of Silicon Valley Bank (SVB) and Credit Suisse. Using SVB’s UK subsidiary and Credit Suisse’s £506 billion (≈$632 billion) asset base, the BoE explained how coordination with...
The U.S. Supreme Court ruled that the International Emergency Economic Powers Act does not give the president authority to impose tariffs, invalidating duties on imports from China, Canada, Mexico and dozens of other nations. The decision opens roughly $166 billion in...
African banks generated roughly $99 bn in revenue in 2024, with McKinsey projecting $107 bn for 2025, marking the first time continent‑wide banking revenues topped $100 bn. Return on equity stood at 19% in 2024, well above the global banking average of about...
Poland’s consumer price index rose to 3.0% year‑on‑year in March, up from 2.1% in February, driven almost entirely by a 15.4% jump in fuel prices. The surge added roughly 0.8 percentage points to headline inflation, while core inflation remained steady...
Pandora has opened a new distribution centre in Mississauga, Ontario to process Canadian online orders locally, reducing reliance on U.S. facilities and exposure to higher tariffs. The move follows President Trump’s increase of import duties on Thai‑made jewellery, which Pandora...
China has imposed broad bans on fertilizer and fuel exports, citing domestic energy security concerns, while refusing to acknowledge the restrictions publicly. Southeast Asian nations—including Bangladesh, the Philippines, Thailand, Malaysia, and Australia—are pressing Beijing to honor existing contracts and keep...
Senator Francis "Kiko" Pangilinan announced the formation of an AGRI-AGRA task force that brings together the Department of Agriculture, Department of Agrarian Reform, Senate, House members, and local governments to monitor the Middle East crisis’s effect on the Philippines. The...
German unemployment fell by 48,700 in March, the strongest March performance since 2022, yet the total jobless count stayed above the politically sensitive three‑million threshold for a third consecutive month, a level not seen since 2014. The decline masks deeper...
Andhra Pradesh’s total fertility rate has dropped to 1.50, well below the 2.10 replacement threshold, signaling a sharp demographic shift. Population growth has slowed from over 7% in the early 2010s to under 2% today, while the median age now...
The Federal Reserve’s odds of raising rates in 2026 have jumped to about 20% after the Iran war sparked a 30% surge in gasoline prices and renewed inflation worries. Analysts warn that a rate hike would push investors into a...
Malaysia’s central bank has raised its 2026 growth projection to a 4‑5% range, up from the government’s previous 4‑4.5% target, citing stronger‑than‑expected momentum in late 2025 and resilient domestic demand. The outlook incorporates risks from the Iran‑related oil price surge,...
French consumer prices jumped 1.7% year‑over‑year in March, driven primarily by a 7.3% surge in energy inflation linked to the Middle‑East conflict. The harmonised inflation rate rose to 1.9%, while core price growth remained modest, with food inflation easing to...
