Stay Informed: Access the latest economic news, trends, and analysis.

Expert Opinions: Insights from leading economists and financial experts.

The world in brief

Catch up quickly on the global stories that matter

China vowed to take “resolute measures” after the Biden administration introduced new tariffs on Chinese imports.

Business

Disney reported that its Disney+ and Hulu streaming services had made a combined operating profit of $47m in the three months ending March 30th, a huge improvement on the $587m loss in the same quarter last year.

Against expectations, European banks are thriving

In 2020, when bbva and Sabadell abandoned merger discussions, it was difficult to find investors with anything positive to say about European banks. A decade of near-zero interest rates, stiff regulation and anaemic economic growth had made them unprofitable and unattractive.

The new economic order

In late april, for the 75th time in a row, America blocked a mundane motion at the World Trade Organisation to fill vacancies on the panel that is the final arbiter of disputes among the group’s members.

The world’s most improbable success story still needs to evolve

Singapore is widely admired. Western politicians envy its sky-high living standards and its efficient civil service. In the emerging world it is a lesson in how to escape poverty.

How to pacify the world’s most violent region

Durán in ecuador is one of the most dangerous cities in the world. Its murder rate of 148 per 100,000 residents in 2023 was almost 50% higher than the next most violent place, Mandela Bay in South Africa.

Clients We’ve Worked With

Israel’s prime minister does not know where to go

Not so long ago, Binyamin Netanyahu was eager to compare himself to Vladimir Putin. In an election campaign in 2019, his party, Likud, proudly paraded the Israeli prime minister in posters alongside Russia’s president and other strongmen. Now Mr Netanyahu is terrified he may join another club alongside Mr Putin: world leaders against whom the International Criminal Court (icc) in The Hague has issued arrest warrants for war crimes.

America is in the midst of an extraordinary startup boom

Pearls, it is said, represent purity. They may soon stand for something else: business dynamism. In Greenville, South Carolina, two locals have created earrings that look like jewels, but contain a cluster of microelectronics to track body temperature, heart rate and even the wearer’s menstrual cycle.

The world’s rules-based order is cracking

Rarely have international courts been busier. In The Hague, the International Criminal Court (icc) is considering war-crimes prosecutions against Israeli leaders, including Binyamin Netanyahu, the prime minister, over the conflict in Gaza. It has already issued an arrest warrant for Vladimir Putin, Russia’s president, for war crimes in Ukraine. The International Court of Justice (icj), also in The Hague, is weighing genocide charges against Israel. In Strasbourg the European Court of Human Rights will hear a request in June for Russia to pay compensation to Ukraine.

Economy

Could America and its allies club together to weaken the dollar?

The plaza hotel has New York glamour in spades. Sitting at a corner of Central Park, it was the setting for “Home Alone 2”, a film that came out in 1992 in which a child finds himself lost in the metropolis. He takes up residence in one of the hotel’s suites, thanks to his father’s credit card, and briefly lives a life of luxury. Donald Trump, the hotel’s owner at the time, has a walk-on part, which was the outcome of a hard bargain.

The form has been submitted successfully!

There has been some error while submitting the form. Please verify all form fields again.