The energy price index fell 7.6% in April, led by declines in U.S. natural gas (-17.6%) and crude oil (-6.8%), the World Bank’s Pink Sheet reported. Non-energy prices decreased by 2.6%. The agricultural price index eased by 0.7%. Food prices edged down 0.5%, raw materials dipped 0.9%, and beverage prices declined by 0.8%. Fertilizer prices inched up […]
On this year’s International Day of Families, we explore a critical issue: the sidelining of family-oriented policies in mainstream economic discussions. Despite their transformative potential, family laws governing marriage, divorce, property rights, inheritance, and household decision-making often remain overlooked. These laws define personal relationships and set the legal boundaries of women’s agency, mobility, and access […]
Global hunger and malnutrition are rising again after decades of progress. In 2024, 343 million people across 74 countries faced acute food insecurity—driven by the lasting effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, conflicts, and economic shocks. In addition, food supply disruptions at local and global levels have become more frequent and severe. Since the 2007–08 global […]
Coinbase Global’s shares jumped nearly 15% on Tuesday after the cryptocurrency exchange became the first digital asset player to be included in the benchmark S&P 500 index. It will replace credit card issuer Discover Financial , which is being acquired by Capital One. The move will be effective before trading begins on May 19. The move […]
U.S. authorities are preparing to announce one of the biggest cuts in banks’ capital requirements in over a decade, the Financial Times reported on Thursday. Regulators were in the next few months poised to reduce the supplementary leverage ratio (SLR), the newspaper reported, citing several people familiar with the matter. The supplementary leverage ratio is […]
Social media influencers have become a powerful advertising channel, but social media advertising is still little regulated, with limited enforcement of disclosure regulations. This column analyses over 100 million tweets from 2014 to 2021 for disclosure rates. The findings suggest that the vast majority of commercial content on social media is not appropriately disclosed by […]
HSBC plans to cut 348 jobs in France through a voluntary redundancy scheme, amounting to about 10% of its workforce in the country, the bank said on Wednesday. The job losses are part of a cost-cutting drive led by CEO Georges Elhedery, who aims to reduce expenses by $1.8 billion by the end of 2026. The Reuters Daily […]
Saudi Aramco has signed 34 preliminary agreements with major U.S. companies, potentially worth as much as $90 billion, the oil giant said on Wednesday. The deals highlight deepening U.S.-Saudi commercial ties as the kingdom pushes ahead to diversify its economy and attract foreign investment. The agreements span liquid natural gas, fuels, chemicals, emission-reduction technologies and artificial […]
Taiwan’s Foxconn, the world’s largest contract electronics maker, downgraded its full-year outlook on Wednesday citing recent appreciation of the Taiwan dollar, even as it struck an upbeat note about booming demand for AI servers. Foxconn, Apple’s top iPhone assembler and Nvidia’s AI server maker, has ridden the crest of the wave for artificial intelligence demand, but is […]
Crypto prime broker FalconX and global bank Standard Chartered said on Wednesday they had formed a strategic partnership to serve institutional crypto investors. The partnership marks FalconX’s first collaboration with a global traditional bank and suggests growing institutional demand for digital assets through traditional finance channels. FalconX will leverage Standard Chartered’s banking and foreign exchange services […]
