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EconoGraphics

May 20, 2015

Who’s Buying European Companies?

By Global Business & Economics

Who is purchasing European companies? Looking at the five biggest foreign acquisitions of European corporates since 2011 shows that the US are the biggest buyers by a considerable margin, with the China, Hong Kong, Brazil, and Japan following behind.

Brazil China

EconoGraphics

May 12, 2015

Two Decades of Sovereign Debt

By Global Business & Economics

Sovereign default is considered to be a rare event. But as the lessons of the past two decades show, they are far from extraordinary. According to the IMF, the main sovereign debt restructurings from the period spanning 1998 – 2010 totaled $117.6 billion. When Greece’s 2012 default is added to that sum, it means that […]

Economy & Business Fiscal and Structural Reform

EconoGraphics

May 5, 2015

Creating the Digital Single Market

By Global Business & Economics Program

European E-Commerce is still largely confined within national borders.

Economy & Business Europe & Eurasia

EconoGraphics

Apr 28, 2015

Do Sanctions Work After All?

By Global Business & Economics

International Relations scholars disagree about whether economic sanctions are an effective tool to coerce countries to follow a certain course of action.

Economy & Business Europe & Eurasia

EconoGraphics

Apr 21, 2015

Exit, or Voice?

By Global Business & Economics

In March, the UK, Germany, Italy, and France decided to join the China-led Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB), shocking the Obama administration.

Brazil China

EconoGraphics

Apr 14, 2015

Who is Investing Abroad?

By Global Business & Economics

While the US still leads the world in outflowing Foreign Direct Investment (FDI), the emerging markets are catching up quickly. Chinese outflowing FDI, in particular has grown tremendously: since 2005, it increased more than 30-fold in 8 years from $5 billion to $166 billion. While initial Chinese foreign investments focused on natural resource industries, over time the investments have spread to diverse industries like agriculture, manufacturing, and professional services. BRIC FDIs are emerging as key growth drivers for low income countries, improving their business environment, building infrastructure, creating jobs, and adding much-needed revenue to government coffers.

China Russia

EconoGraphics

Apr 7, 2015

Is Europe still vulnerable to a Greek default?

By Global Business & Economics Program

Private banks throughout Europe have significantly reduced their exposure to Greek debt (bank, public, and non-bank private sector debt) over the last five years. After Greece came under market pressure and eventually obtained ECB and IMF financial assistance in 2010, most European banks started to rapidly reduce their exposure to Greece. For instance, between 2010 and 2014 French banks' holdings decreased from $63 billion to $2 billion.

Economy & Business Eurozone

EconoGraphics

Mar 31, 2015

The IMF’s Changing Role in Europe

By Global Business & Economics

The International Monetary Fund's purpose and scope of work have changed since its founding after World War II. Whereas at first the Fund aimed to maintain monetary and exchange-rate stability among its members who were primarily advanced economies, today it faces its first credible challenge to its status as the world's lender of last resort.

Economy & Business Financial Regulation

EconoGraphics

Mar 24, 2015

How Much Does it Cost for Cubans to Access Information?

By Global Business & Economics

When President Obama announced his landmark policy shift towards Cuba, easing the 54-year-old embargo, one of the first companies to announce they would begin operating in Cuba was Netflix. The online video company's decision was surprising, if only because Cuba's internet is one of the slowest in the world.

Americas Cuba

EconoGraphics

Mar 17, 2015

Who Will Finance Public Debt?

By Global Business & Economics Program

Today, the cap on US government spending (or the "debt ceiling") is officially reinstated, and with it, the threat of another clash over the national debt. Policymakers will have a runway of just months before they must decide to lift the cap on borrowing or temporarily allow it to be raised

Brazil China

Content

Econographics

Sep 22, 2026

To achieve its next economic leap, Vietnam needs to move beyond the factory floor

By Amin Mohseni-Cheraghlou

Vietnam’s export-driven growth has been remarkable. But with domestic firms capturing relatively little of the value, Hanoi now needs to turn foreign investment into broader gains at home.

Economy & Business South Asia

Econographics

Sep 21, 2026

The four issues our experts are watching ahead of this week’s Trump-Xi summit

By Beth Baltzan, Jeremy Mark, Stephen P. Vaughn, Jessie Yin

From AI governance to trade and economic headwinds in Beijing, our experts break down the key questions shaping the summit—and what could come next.

China Economy & Business

Econographics

Sep 17, 2026

Ten years into Trump’s trade experiment, the US continues to defy expectations

By Stephen P. Vaughn

A decade of tariffs and trade wars has yet to deliver the economic collapse many critics predicted. Instead, the data tell a more complicated story.

Economy & Business Macroeconomics

Econographics

Sep 15, 2026

The Philippines needs to turn fast growth into productive growth

By Amin Mohseni-Cheraghlou

The Southeast Asian nation has proved it can grow. Now, amid shifting supply chains and rising geopolitical tensions, it must prove it can grow more productively.

Economy & Business Indo-Pacific

Econographics

Sep 14, 2026

Friends with few trade benefits

By Madeline Chalecki

Free trade agreements were supposed to protect US trading partners. But the Trump administration’s tariffs are putting that promise to the test.

Economy & Business Trade and tariffs

Econographics

Sep 10, 2026

Nearly two decades after the global financial crisis, a new regulatory era is dawning

By Matthew L. Ekberg

Nearly two decades after the 2008 crash, the rules governing the world’s banks are being rewritten. But as the US, UK, and EU push to modernize financial regulation, they face a difficult question: Can they boost growth without undermining financial stability?

Economy & Business Europe & Eurasia

Econographics

Sep 9, 2026

The five issues to watch at next month’s IMF-World Bank Annual Meetings

By Hung Tran

From soaring debt to trade fragmentation and AI disruption, the global economy faces no shortage of challenges. Here are the five issues to watch at next month’s fall meetings.

Economy & Business Inclusive Growth

Econographics

Sep 8, 2026

The IMF’s boost to China’s currency is costing the world, ten years later

By Jeremy Mark

The renminbi was supposed to become a global currency. Instead, China’s tight controls have helped lay the groundwork for a more fragmented monetary system.

China Economy & Business

Econographics

Aug 28, 2026

The G20 needs more carrots to rebalance away from China

By Barbara C. Matthews

Tariffs alone won’t fix global imbalances. The G20 should use economic “carrots” to de-risk from China without destabilizing it.

China Economy & Business

Econographics

Aug 25, 2026

Maritime trade routes are under threat—and markets still underprice the risks

By Alex Mills

Conflict, climate change, and geopolitical tensions are putting unprecedented pressure on the world's most important waterways. The economic costs are set to ripple far beyond the shipping industry.

Central America Economy & Business