Commodity wealth demands a fiscal balancing act
Commodity booms are easy to celebrate but hard to manage. For resource-rich economies, commodity windfalls—if managed well—can finance investment, strengthen public finances and lift growth
Gold pares losses from index rebalancing, steadies ahead of US jobs data
U.S. gold futures for February delivery firmed 0.4% to $4,477.70. Gold prices pared early losses on Friday, as investors weighed geopolitical against the ongoing rebalancing
Gold holds steady as Fed rate cut bets offset dollar strength
Traders see 75% chance of US interest rate cut next month. Gold prices held steady on Monday, as growing expectations of a Federal Reserve rate
Navigating the 2022 inflation surge: Lessons for monetary policy frameworks
The 2022 global inflation surge tested inflation-targeting frameworks under severe supply shocks. This column shows that, despite earlier and sharper tightening, inflation targeting central banks
Oil market glut: surging output and sluggish demand pressure prices
This blog post is part of a special series based on the October 2025 Commodity Markets Outlook, a flagship report published by the World Bank. This series
25% inflation, 50 years on
UK CPI inflation in 1975 reached 25%, a period now known as the ‘Great Inflation’. This column uses a range of empirical and narrative evidence
Understanding inflation with textual analysis: How news about commodities improves predictions
Commodity prices have historically been considered leading indicators of inflation, but the relationship has weakened since the mid-1980s, making them less reliable predictors. This column
Soybeans fall on absent China demand; corn down on record crop
Corn fell on forecasts of a record large U.S. harvest, wheat firmed ahead of a U.S. interest rate decision. Chicago soybeans fell on Monday, as
Easy money, easy spending: A new take on the resource curse
When wealth or income suddenly increases (‘easy money’), this may be directed towards unproductive ‘easy spending’. This column explores the relationship between conspicuous consumption and
From battlefield to market: How disruptions in Ukraine affected grain price trends
Commodity price spikes at the outset of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine contributed significantly to global inflation in 2022-23, which caught many policymakers off guard
