• Loading stock data...
Global Business and Finance Magazine > Blog
Finance Banking Featured

A hidden dragon: China’s spillovers on the financial markets of emerging economies

Global financial markets are becoming increasingly intertwined. This column analyses the potential spillovers of shocks originating in China on the financial markets of emerging economies, distinguishing between disturbances stemming from monetary policy and those related to China’s macroeconomic developments. The findings reveal that macroeconomic disturbances in China have significant lasting effects on financial variables of […]

Read More
Productivity Featured Innovation

Miracle or myth: Assessing the macroeconomic productivity gains from artificial intelligence

Artificial intelligence has been shown to deliver large performance gains in selected economic activities, but its aggregate impact remains debated. This column discusses a micro-to-macro framework to assess the aggregate productivity gains from AI under different scenarios. AI could contribute between 0.25 and 0.6 percentage points to annual total factor productivity growth in the US […]

Read More
Finance Economy Featured World

Bitcoin valuation: Transactional demand versus speculative bubble

The recent surge in the price of Bitcoin has reignited debates about a cryptocurrency bubble, many of them based on intuition. This column takes a formal approach to the beliefs underlying both sides of the debate by introducing a model that builds on the classical framework for rational bubbles. If the price of a cryptocurrency […]

Read More
Development Featured News World

Harnessing the benefits of digital agriculture for smallholder farmers in East Africa

Mobile phone-based extension programmes can be used to disseminate information about modern inputs and management practices to smallholder farmers in low-income countries who would be difficult to reach through in-person visits. This column reports on an evaluation of six different text message-based agricultural extension programmes that collectively reached over 128,000 farmers in Kenya and Rwanda. […]

Read More
Economy Featured Innovation Productivity

Government reform and innovation performance in China

While conventional wisdom considers research investment and human capital the wellsprings of innovation, a more subtle catalyst has perhaps been overlooked: the quality of institutions, especially at the regional and local level. This column exploits the staggered implementation of government agency reforms in China to examine the impact of institutions on innovation. It finds that […]

Read More
Finance Economy Featured World

StanChart sets $200 billion new wealth assets target, focuses on Chinese and Indian wealthy

 Standard Chartered (StanChart) will target $200 billion in new assets and double-digit growth in income from its wealth business over the next five years, as part of its wider strategy to shift to higher fee-earning businesses. The Asia-focussed bank wants to expand in serving wealthy Chinese and Indian clients who have assets offshore or cross-border needs, […]

Read More
Finance Banking Featured World

Barclays reaches $19.5 million settlement over debt sale blunder

Barclays agreed to pay $19.5 million to settle a lawsuit in Manhattan by shareholders who accused the British bank of securities fraud after it sold $17.7 billion more debt than regulators allowed. A preliminary settlement of the proposed class action was filed on Tuesday in Manhattan federal court, and requires approval by U.S. District Judge […]

Read More
Energy Featured News World

Navigating economic shocks: How firms adapted to the energy crisis

To manage the consequences of unexpected shocks, policymakers need to understand how firms respond to such shocks. This column uses linked, high-frequency survey micro data to analyse the high-dimensional responses of UK firms to the recent energy price shock. It finds that firms adjust along multiple margins, such as passing on costs to prices, building […]

Read More
Finance Economy Featured World

Trump’s victory and equity markets: The effect of political proximity

Donald Trump’s re-election as president of the United States on 5 November has stirred both optimism and apprehension in global financial markets. As his administration embarks on a policy agenda heavily focused on tax cuts, trade protectionism, deregulation, and stricter immigration policies – collectively known as Agenda 47 – investors and analysts are evaluating the […]

Read More
Climate Environment Featured News

Experiencing natural disasters increases partisan disagreement on climate change

As climate-related disasters become increasingly frequent and destructive, one might expect first-hand experience of these events to bring consensus on the urgency of addressing climate change. Yet, the deep ideological divide on this issue in the US and beyond – combined with highly polarised media coverage – may hinder this process. Combining data on the […]

Read More