China’s Belt and Road Initiative and the shifting landscape of trade and investment
China’s Belt and Road Initiative has reshaped international economic and political ties among countries and reorganised global value chains. This column reveals that the initiative
Gold rises more than 1% on risk-off mood, dollar pause
Non-yielding gold tends to do well in a low-interest-rate environment and during times of economic uncertainty. Gold prices gained more than 1% on Wednesday, with
The lasting economic scars of war
Wars leave deep and lasting scars on economies. Using data for 115 conflicts across 145 countries over the past 75 years, this column documents large
Conservation in the path of development: new data to guide road corridor investments
Biodiversity loss poses a direct threat to human well-being, economic development, and planetary health Biodiversity supports food security, clean water, climate stability, and livelihoods —
The hidden cycle: How informality shapes fiscal policy and sovereign default
The informal sector tends to expand during economic downturns and contract in recoveries, and is also highly sensitive to fiscal policy. This column explores the
The macroeconomic implications of extreme weather events: Insights from advanced economies
Extreme weather events are increasing in frequency and intensity, yet their macroeconomic impacts remain poorly understood. This column argues that the highly localised nature of
Data, power and emissions: How AI’s growth may slow down the green transition
AI and other data-intensive technologies may help optimise energy use, but the technologies themselves are power hungry. This column explores how the diffusion of AI
Gender wealth inequality in the European Union: a distributional perspective
Analysis of single women and men in Europe reveals persistent gender wealth gaps and differing patterns across countries. This paper investigates gender-related disparities in wealth
Leading firms are falling behind in developing East Asia
For decades, East Asia has been a paragon of economic dynamism. But today, in an era of rapid global technological advances, productivity growth in the
Trade finance: A lifeline for jobs and businesses
When a farmer in Ghana can’t import fertilizer to grow maize or a pharmacy in Pakistan runs short of antibiotics, the barrier is rarely the
