President Trump’s tariff policy is shaking the global economy and generating high levels of trade policy uncertainty. This column challenges the economic reasoning behind recent US trade policies. It argues that tariffs generally lower economic welfare by distorting resource allocations. Furthermore, the resulting trade policy uncertainty will have additional negative effects on the global economy […]
Despite a succession of shocks since 2020, the global economy has held up remarkably well—so far. But the margin for error is dwindling. Total global debt is now nearly 25 percent higher than it was on the eve of the COVID-19 pandemic, when it already was at an all-time high. This overhang could undercut all economies’ ability to shield […]
Only six months ago, a “soft landing” appeared to be in sight: the global economy was stabilizing after an extraordinary string of calamities both natural and man-made over the past few years. That moment has passed. The world economy today is once more running into turbulence. Without a swift course correction, the harm to living standards […]
President Trump’s sweeping “reciprocal tariffs” announced on 2 April sent shockwaves through the global economy. This column introduces the European Commission’s Spring Forecast, which depicts a resilient EU economy. Yet growth is set to remain modest, reinforcing the image of a continent buffeted by external shocks and mired in low growth. Tariffs, and even more […]
Taiwan’s Foxconn, the world’s largest contract electronics maker, downgraded its full-year outlook on Wednesday citing recent appreciation of the Taiwan dollar, even as it struck an upbeat note about booming demand for AI servers. Foxconn, Apple’s top iPhone assembler and Nvidia’s AI server maker, has ridden the crest of the wave for artificial intelligence demand, but is […]
Oil prices pared gains on Wednesday but rose for a second session, finding support from positive investor sentiment over U.S.-China trade talks to be held this weekend and signs of lower U.S. shale output. Brent crude futures climbed 34 cents a barrel, or around 0.6%, to $62.49 a barrel by 1220 GMT, while U.S. West […]
