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Latest analysis

Bremain vs Brexit

Mar 24, 2016

A Costly Goodbye

By Alvaro Morales Salto Weis & TK Spandhla

On June 23, British citizens will decide on a referendum whether the UK stays or leaves the EU. The consequences of a vote to leave, or Brexit, could decide the UK’s place in the world for generations.

Economy & Business
European Union

EconoGraphics

Mar 24, 2016

The French Way of Reforms

By Alvaro Morales Salto Weis & TK Spandhla

France’s economy has struggled to grow in recent years, expanding by a mere 1.1% in 2015. Meanwhile its unemployment rate has stubbornly lingered around 10%, with a slight upwards trend.

Economy & Business
Fiscal and Structural Reform

EconoGraphics

Mar 14, 2016

A Tale of Two QE’s

By Alvaro Morales Salto Weis & TK Spandhla

On March 10, the European Central Bank (ECB) announced an expansion of its Quantitative Easing Program (QE), increasing the amount of government bonds it buys monthly from €60 billion to €80 billion. It also extended the range of assets it purchases to include investment grade non-bank corporate bonds. On top of that, the ECB lowered already negative deposit interest rates further down, to -0.4%, and its main interest rate to 0%. So, why have Central Banks embraced QE?

Economy & Business
European Union

EconoGraphics

Mar 4, 2016

TTIP: Window of Opportunity is Closing

By Alvaro Morales Salto Weis & TK Spandhla

The 12th round of negotiations for the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) concluded last week in Brussels on an optimistic tone. The Chief Negotiator for the EU announced significant advances in most negotiating areas, including on the Investor-State-Dispute Settlement (ISD), which had been frozen for months. His US counterpart expressed confidence in reaching an ambitious deal in the second half of the year, rejecting calls for a “TTIP lite”.

Economy & Business
European Union

EconoGraphics

Feb 25, 2016

TTIP: Cutting the Red Tape

By Global Business and Economics

The 12th round of negotiations for the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) unfolded this week in Brussels between the EU and their American counterparts. At a time when both parties are stuck with weak growth (and persistent high unemployment in Europe), the importance of TTIP cannot be understated.

Economy & Business
European Union

EconoGraphics

Feb 23, 2016

Tug of Budget War in Brussles

By Global Business and Economics

In the past weeks, the Portuguese government and EU authorities have engaged in a tug of war over the Portuguese budget proposal for 2016. The European Commission (EC) warned the newly elected anti-austerity government that it risked “serious non-compliance” with the EU’s fiscal rules. Finally, Lisbon narrowly avoided becoming the first Eurozone country to have its budget rejected by Brussels, as it agreed to additional tax hikes and spending cuts.

Economy & Business
European Union

EconoGraphics

Feb 16, 2016

Dreaming Big: Size Matters

By Global Business and Economics

Why are Google, Apple or Facebook American-born but not European? Concerns about Europe’s lack of innovative start-ups prompted the European Commission (EC) to launch the Entrepreneurship 2020 Action Plan, aimed at bolstering entrepreneurship culture.

Economy & Business
Europe & Eurasia

EconoGraphics

Feb 8, 2016

Juncker Has a Plan

By Global Business and Economics

Europe’s fragile recovery has been ailing from low levels of investment. While GDP and consumption have surpassed their pre-crisis levels, by the end of 2014 gross capital formation was still around 15% below its 2007 peak (€230 billion to €370 billion less than the EU’s long term investment average). That is why the EU launched an ambitious investment plan, the European Fund for Strategic Investments (EFSI).

Economy & Business
European Union

EconoGraphics

Feb 1, 2016

Young Arrivals for an Ageing Europe

By Global Business and Economics

Refugees are pouring into the European Union (EU) at a scale not seen since the Second World War. In 2015 alone, 893.695 applied for asylum, up from around 250.000 in 2010, according to Eurostat. The magnitude of these influxes has rocked the EU boat, prompting yet another consequential crisis on top of last year’s Greek bailout and the incoming referendum on the UK’s permanence.

Economy & Business
European Union

EconoGraphics

Jan 21, 2016

Feeling the Oil Crunch

By Global Business and Economics

Oil prices have fallen to their lowest since 2003, sitting under $30 a barrel in recent days. Declining expectations of global growth plus the addition of post-sanction Iranian supply don’t spell a substantial price recovery in the immediate future. Under this new market realities, oil-exporting countries come in different form to weather the storm.

Economy & Business
Financial Sanctions and Economic Coercion

Content

Econographics

Jan 19, 2024

The IMF’s perspective on CBDCs

By Tobias Adrian

Tobias Adrian outlines the IMF's view on CBDCs' potential for payment systems, financial inclusion, and cross-border payments, emphasizing innovation and collaboration for effective implementation.

Digital Currencies
Digital Policy
China, In the center of the capital in a new commercial building construction

Econographics

Jan 10, 2024

China’s local government debts are coming due

By Jeremy Mark

China's economic slowdown brings local government debts into sharp focus, threatening infrastructure and social services.

China
Economy & Business
The view of boats on the red Sea.

Econographics

Jan 8, 2024

The long shadow of the Red Sea shipping disruption

By Alex Mills

Recent attacks on shipping moving through the red sea have exposed broader risks around international maritime commerce. Policy makers must use this wake-up call to build a more resilient international shipping ecosystem.

East Africa
Economy & Business

Econographics

Jan 3, 2024

Five under-the-radar economic trends that could define 2024

By Josh Lipsky, Sophia Busch

We picked five under-the-radar trends that will matter for the global economy in 2024. Each shows the potential weak spots in the global economy alongside the forces that could stabilize growth.

China
Economy & Business
Building with EU flags

Econographics

Dec 19, 2023

Three next steps for the EU’s approach to economic security

By Elmar Hellendoorn

The EU’s Strategy on Economic Security, published this summer, was the first official effort to present a more coherent view on the European policy approach at the intersection of economics and geopolitics. In the end, however, the EU's approach to economic security can only be successful if it is tied to Europe's long-term political objectives.

European Union
Eurozone
Ships on Red Sea

Econographics

Dec 18, 2023

What attacks in the Red Sea could mean for the global economy

By Hung Tran

Recent missile attacks on ships in the Red Sea by Iran-backed Houthi rebels have escalated regional tensions and disrupted global trade. Large shipping companies are now avoiding the route, causing significant costs and delays, which is impacting the the already fragile economy.

Economy & Business
Macroeconomics

Econographics

Dec 11, 2023

China’s manufacturing overcapacity threatens global green goods trade

By Niels Graham

Chinese lending is exacerbating a growing glut in its green manufacturing sector. Beijing is increasingly looking abroad to absorb excess capacity. This may have devastating effects for the global trading system as economies move to protect their own domestic industry.

China
Economy & Business

Econographics

Dec 7, 2023

Germany’s debt brake isn’t working

By Hung Tran

Germany’s coalition government was dealt a fiscal crisis when the country’s Constitutional Court ruled that repurposing €60 billion of unspent money from the pandemic emergency support facility to the Climate and Transformation Fund was unconstitutional.

Economy & Business
Financial Regulation

Econographics

Dec 1, 2023

Financialization has increased economic fragility

By Hung Tran

Since the 1980s, financial activities and assets have played an increasingly dominant role in the global economy. At the same time, underlying economic activity as measured by global GDP has been growing more slowly. The result has been an ever-larger gap between the volume and value of financial activity relative to the real economy. And […]

Financial Regulation
Macroeconomics

Econographics

Nov 30, 2023

Geoeconomic fragmentation is threatening the green energy transition

By Amin Mohseni-Cheraghlou

The energy transition depends on trade—and on China. Geoeconomic fragmentation could impact global climate targets.

Africa
China