Economics

When we think about disadvantages and challenges in the labor market, unemployment generally takes center stage, clearly exemplified by the monthly jobs report hype over one stat: the unemployment rate. Is it up or down? What will it be next...

There is nothing more compelling than a catchy metaphor to attract attention and garner support for policy prescriptions. ‘Engines’ and ‘traps’ are two of the most popular metaphors in the development literature. Both have been used repeatedly to advance various...

Seeing a weak economy and struggling middle class, the Federal Reserve is considering measures to stimulate the economy.  In a speech earlier this week, Janet Yellen, Chair of the Federal Reserve, said the Fed has "considerable scope" for stimulating the...

To many, the word “inflation” causes a knee-jerk reaction and a cringe. Most associate inflation with a negative trend for economies and buying power. Some inflation, however, can actually be a good thing, and that is why the Organization for...

Economic inequality is now firmly on the public agenda as candidates and voters alike look for someone to blame for stagnant wages, entrenched poverty and a widening gap between rich and poor. Bernie Sanders blames Wall Street. Donald Trump points...

On August 2015, the People’s Bank of China devalued the yuan with the aim of appreciating the currency against the US dollar. On October 2015, the European Central Bank signaled the intention to pump more liquidity into the Eurozone economy....

As Vietnam suffers its worst drought in nearly a century and Cambodia faces a water shortage that could jeopardise the livelihoods of 1.5 million people, debates have been reignited over the mega dams built along the Mekong. As Vietnam suffers...

When a coal-fired plant in India destroyed the health, livelihoods, and property of farmers and fishermen in the region, they turned to international interest groups for help. Those interest groups, in turn, devised the strategy of taking the matter to...

Asia’s recent decades of economic growth have depended, among other things, on a remarkable period of regional peace and stability. The region will only keep growing if that can be sustained. We cannot take this for granted. The peace we...

It is widely recognized that the sharp depreciation of the Japanese yen has not lifted Japanese export volumes.  In December 2015, Japanese export volumes had fallen 4.4% year-over-year after rising 3.9% in December 2014 and 2.5% in December 2013. These...

The conflict in the Middle East has displaced millions, cost the world economy billions, and taken thousands of lives. While most of the solutions to these problems suggested in the media tend to focus on military action, the World Bank...

The US dollar is mostly lower as the North American session is set to begin.  The holiday in many centers, especially in Europe, has limited activity, and a few orders seemed to drive prices, which remain within the recent ranges....

Four events will shape market psychology in the week ahead.  They are Yellen's speech to the NY Economic Club, US jobs data, Eurozone March CPI and PMI, and Japan's Tankan Survey.  The broad backdrop is characterized by the rebuilding of...

In February 1987, a pair of junior American diplomats arrived in pre-democratic Mongolia to lay the groundwork for establishing a US embassy — no simple task in Ulaanbaatar, the world’s coldest capital. When the embassy opened a year later, its...

The holiday shutters most markets today.  Several Asian markets were open, and equities were narrowly mixed, with Japan and China posting small gains.  Most of the other local markets, including Australia, Korea and Taiwan slipped. The US dollar is trading...