UN Trade and Development (UNCTAD) has released its latest Trade and Development Report, projecting global economic growth to hover at a stagnant rate of 2.7% for both 2024 and 2025. This marks a further dip from the average growth rate of 3% witnessed between 2011 and 2019, and is significantly lower than the 4.4% growth […]

India’s appeal as a trade and investment destination has grown rapidly, especially among European companies looking to diversify amidst a shifting global economic landscape. Leading the charge are Swiss companies like ABB and Kuehne+Nagel, with India’s rapidly expanding economy and evolving regulatory environment promising new opportunities. The recent $100 billion Trade and Economic Partnership Agreement […]

Overview of HKSTP’s Strategic Expansion into the Middle East The Hong Kong Science and Technology Parks Corporation (HKSTP) is spearheading a significant move to strengthen ties with the Middle East by leading a delegation of 25 tech companies to the Future Investment Initiative Institute’s 8th Edition (FII8) in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. This unprecedented delegation, which […]

Tokyo—For the first time in five months, core inflation in Japan’s capital city of Tokyo fell below the Bank of Japan’s (BOJ) 2% target, raising concerns about the central bank’s ability to justify further interest rate hikes. The Tokyo core consumer price index (CPI), which excludes volatile fresh food costs, rose by 1.8% in October […]

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has called on Turkey to exercise caution regarding its upcoming minimum wage hike scheduled for January 1, 2025, urging policymakers to avoid a repeat of the inflation-fueling increase seen earlier in 2024. Jim Walsh, the IMF’s mission chief for Turkey, emphasized the importance of focusing on targeted support for the […]

China’s export growth, which has been increasingly dominating global trade discussions, is primarily fueled by weak domestic demand and strong foreign consumption, particularly from the United States. This has contributed to rising trade surpluses in China, a trend highlighted by the International Monetary Fund’s (IMF) Chief Economist Pierre-Olivier Gourinchas during a recent interview at the […]

Malaysia is set to introduce extensive fiscal reforms in 2025, expanding its sales and services tax (SST) and restructuring fuel subsidies, as the government gears up for record-breaking budget spending. Announced by Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim on Friday, the fiscal measures aim to tighten the country’s deficit while managing rising public sector costs and boosting […]

The European Central Bank (ECB) announced its third interest rate cut of the year on Thursday, reflecting the ongoing slowdown in economic growth, signs of softening in the labor market, and easing consumer price pressures. In a move widely anticipated by analysts, the ECB reduced its deposit rate by 25 basis points to 3.25%, according […]

Investors in British government bonds (gilts) are on edge ahead of the new Labour government’s first budget announcement on October 30. Finance Minister Rachel Reeves is set to reveal her fiscal agenda, the first of its kind in 14 years under a Labour administration. While many anticipate a significant rise in debt issuance, bond markets […]

On Tuesday, October 16, 2024, the World Bank took a significant step in enhancing its capacity to assist developing countries. By altering its internal lending rules, the bank is now set to unlock an additional $30 billion in lending capacity over the next decade. This change, led by World Bank President Ajay Banga, is part […]