Oil prices steadied on Monday, after falling more than 4% last week, as investors looked towards talks this week between the U.S. and Russia over the war in Ukraine. Brent crude futures slipped 14 cents, or 0.21%, at $66.45 a barrel by 11:15 a.m. EDT (1515 GMT). U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude futures fell 12 cents, […]
The most-active wheat contract on the Chicago Board of Trade was down 0.2% at $5.15-1/2 a bushel. Chicago wheat futures eased on Tuesday to approach their lowest since 2020 as seasonal supply pressure from Northern Hemisphere harvests weighed on the market. Corn edged down to set fresh contract lows, with steady U.S. crop conditions and […]
Imagine a truckload of fresh mangoes grown by smallholder farmers in Sri Lanka. The fruit is ripe, fragrant, and ready for export. But instead of heading straight to market, it sits at the border waiting for inspections, test results, and paper certifications. Hours turn into days. By the time the mangoes reach their destination, some […]
The world oil market may be tighter than it appears despite a supply and demand balance pointing to a surplus, the International Energy Agency said on Friday, as refineries ramp up processing to meet summer travel demand. The IEA, which advises industrialised countries, expects global supply to rise by 2.1 million barrels per day this […]
In their recent blog Can Africa Claim the 21st Century?, Andrew Dabalen and Chorching Goh rightly highlight Africa’s moment of opportunity: a convergence of global attention, demographic momentum, and natural resource wealth. But whether this century can truly be Africa’s depends on whether its cities are able to generate enough good jobs to employ its growing population. […]
Senator Elizabeth Warren has warned BNY that its reported interest in a merger with Northern Trust could violate federal banking laws, saying any potential deal between the two large custody banks raises antitrust concerns. Warren, the top Democrat on the Senate Banking Committee and a longtime big bank critic, told BNY CEO Robin Vince in a […]
State aid regulation is crucial to ensuring competitiveness in the EU Single Market, but enforcement remains challenging. Non-compliance by member states and foreign subsidies are ongoing concerns; however, detection is difficult. This column proposes an approach to identify suspect cases of hidden state aid recipients using machine learning algorithms. The predictions allow regulators to substantially […]
The success of ChatGPT has raised fears that the excessive concentration of generative AI technology within one or two leading US companies could reduce market dynamism. This column presents novel empirical evidence which suggests that the supply of AI has been more open than initially expected in various segments of the AI value chain, driving […]
Exchange-traded funds and open-ended mutual funds have grown rapidly, and they are increasingly expanding into illiquid asset classes such as corporate bonds. This column argues that this trend could lead to increased volatility in corporate bond markets, especially during periods of market stress. Furthermore, risks vary significantly depending on the type of investor (retail or […]
Germany, the Czech Republic and 14 other countries have demanded the European Union introduce stricter price controls to the bloc’s new carbon market, over fears the policy will raise consumers’ bills, a document seen by Reuters showed. The paper, which has support from enough countries to form the “qualified majority” needed to pass EU laws, […]
