In 2021, China’s electronics exports exceeded those of the other five leading exporters combined. This column analyses the rise of China as a centre for electronics manufacturing. It argues that the key drivers of growth were intense competition, education that facilitated technology transfer, and infrastructure development. However, China’s nonlinear innovation model also leaves it dependent […]
Expanding funded pensions via auto-enrolment could boost long-term investment and saver security, allowing the EU to address its investment gap. The European Union faces a significant investment gap. Meanwhile, an ageing population is putting pressure on the EU’s predominantly unfunded pension systems. Insurance companies and pension funds sit at the intersection of these challenges: as […]
Internal balance-of-payment crises should be taken as a strong signal of weakness and a wake-up call to reform euro area structures The single currency was expected to make the balance of payments irrelevant between the euro-area member states. This benign view has been challenged by recent developments, especially as imbalances between euro-area central banks have […]
Britain’s ambition to rev up its economy and tap the AI revolution faces the harsh reality that the abundant, clean and reliable electricity supply this requires is unlikely to materialise any time soon. Prime Minister Keir Starmer has laid out several major industrial policies aimed at reviving Britain’s sluggish economy, including by pouring investment into the artificial […]
U.S. liquefied natural gas developer Next Decade will receive up to $1.8 billion in equity commitments from Total Energies and Global Infrastructure Partners to finance a fourth liquefaction plant at its Rio Grande LNG export project in Texas, the company said on Monday in a regulatory filing. The move brings NextDecade one step closer to a positive […]
The European Union’s pledge to buy $250 billion of U.S. energy supplies per year is unrealistic because it would require the redirection of most U.S. energy exports towards Europe and the EU has little control over the energy its companies import. The U.S. and EU struck a framework trade deal on Sunday, which will impose 15% U.S. […]
Oil prices rose on Tuesday, extending the previous day’s rally, on optimism that a trade war between the United States and its major trading partners was abating and as President Donald Trump ramped up pressure on Russia over its war in Ukraine. Brent crude futures were up 95 cents, or 1.36%, at $70.99 a barrel […]
HSBC has agreed to sell 6.7 billion euros ($7.81 billion) worth of French home loans to British insurer Rothesay and consortium partner CCF Group, the latter said on Friday. The portfolio mainly consists of 25-year fixed rate mortgages for residential properties in France, Rothesay said. The proposed sale comes as HSBC has shrunk its presence […]
UniCredit on Tuesday said it was withdrawing its 14.6 billion euro ($17 billion) all-share bid for Banco BPM. Italy’s second-biggest bank said in a statement government-set terms for the bid, which it has been fighting in court scoring a partial victory earlier this month, had derailed the bid. “The normal offer process has been impacted […]
Capital One Financial reported a rise in second-quarter adjusted profit on Tuesday, as the consumer lender was helped by a boost in interest income on its credit card debt and higher fee income. Shares of the company, which have gained nearly 22% in 2025, rose 2.5% after the bell. Consumer spending displayed underlying resilience in […]
