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trade Business Economy Featured Finance

US goods trade deficit narrows sharply in April as imports plunge

The goods trade gap contracted 46.0% to $87.6 billion last month, the Commerce Department’s Census Bureau said on Friday The U.S. trade deficit in goods narrowed sharply in April as the boost from the front-running of imports ahead of tariffs faded. The goods trade gap contracted 46.0% to $87.6 billion last month, the Commerce Department’s […]

World Business Featured Finance

Japan to raise foreign direct investment target to $1trln by mid-2030s, sources say

The new targets, to be formally included in the government’s upcoming fiscal and economic policy guidelines in June, represent a sharp escalation from the previous goal of 100 trillion yen by 2030 Japan is set to raise its 2030 foreign direct investment target by 20% and push the figure as high as 150 trillion yen […]

Economy Featured News trade World

Global economy’s ‘sugar rush’ defies trade drama – for now

Investment banks and institutions generally expect the United States to avoid a recession this year and the global economy to keep growing For all the drama surrounding U.S. President Donald Trump’s trade tariffs, the world economy is holding up better than many had expected. The latest data from the United States, China and, to a […]

trade Featured media News World

Missing tariffs: How flawed data turn trade policy analysis into a Herculean task

When the Trump administration pledged to impose “reciprocal tariffs” on countries with “unfair” trade practices, trade economists scrambled to determine what such tariffs might look like. But modelling any tariff-based intervention requires reliable data on what countries actually impose, and this column argues that the tariff data we rely on are incomplete and often wrong. […]

Economy Featured Finance News

Fiscal stagnation

Public debt-to-GDP ratios have climbed to historic highs in most advanced economies. This column studies the connection between productivity growth, fiscal policy, and public debt. Using a theoretical model, it argues that a feedback loop is possible between fiscal policy and growth. Large primary surpluses are associated with fiscal distortions which depress investment and productivity […]

Productivity Featured Innovation News World

Fully remote work expands recruitment and boosts productivity

The Covid-19 pandemic sparked a large and lasting shift to remote work. This column draws on detailed administrative data from a major call centre in Türkiye to show that a permanent shift to fully remote work can expand recruitment and raise productivity without compromising service quality. The transition increased the share of women, including married […]

Development Featured Innovation News Productivity

The global impact of AI: Mind the gap

Artificial intelligence is widely seen as a transformative force for productivity and innovation. Yet, its macroeconomic implications remain uncertain, especially from a global perspective. This column shows how structural differences in AI exposure, preparedness, and access in advanced economies, emerging markets, and low-income countries shape the distribution of AI-induced productivity gains. While improvements in AI […]

Technology Development Featured Finance

AI in public employment services: Unlocking potential, avoiding pitfalls

Public employment services are rapidly turning to artificial intelligence (AI) to develop a range of sophisticated digital tools. According to a recent survey, half of the public employment agencies in OECD countries have implemented AI solutions such as chatbots that assist with service inquiries, profiling models to assess jobseeker needs, tools that guide job-search strategies, and […]