Policy debates around climate change frequently focus on the trade-off between the near-term costs of reducing carbon emissions and the long-term benefits of mitigating climate change. William Nordhaus highlighted the importance of aggregate productivity losses from climate change in shaping this intertemporal trade-off, but estimating these losses is challenging. This column examines both the direct […]
Coffee prices remain high despite April dip. Coffee softened slightly in April after hitting record nominal highs. Arabica reached $9/kg in February-March, while Robusta approached $6/kg. In 2025Q1 (q/q), Arabica surged 26 percent (q/q)—almost doubling year-on-year—while Robusta rose 12 percent, marking a two-thirds increase over 2024 levels. Global production rose to 170 million bags in 2023-24 […]
The first four months of the year have been turbulent for oil markets. Brent crude oil plunged by more than $12 per barrel ($/bbl) in the four trading days following April 2. This marked the 11th-worst four-trading-day price performance since 1990 and was accompanied by a 50 percent surge in anticipated oil price volatility. Brent […]
