Economics

The 7 July visit to the White House by Vietnam’s Communist Party chief Nguyen Phu Trong signaled just how far the United States and Vietnam have come in the past two decades in moving beyond their ‘difficult history’, as President...

The latest Wall Street Journal survey found that 82% of economists expect a Fed hike in September, completely dismissing a July hike, as this Great Graphic illustrates.  A December hike is more likely to occur as noted by 15% of...

According to the OECD Employment Outlook for 2015, member nations, when taken as a whole, are still experiencing alarmingly high rates of unemployment. Indeed, the OECD report points out that unemployment rates in many European nations still exceeds 11 percent,...

Major developments spanned three continents this week as the U.S. looks set to see a rise in interest rates, China’s imports continue to shrink, and European policymakers finally make a deal with Greece. In the U.S., Federal Reserve Chairperson Janet...

Kicking the can just far enough down the road to push the Greek drama off center stage, the diverging monetary policies reemerged this week as a key force. Yellen and Carney's comments underscore that less accommodative monetary policies are coming...

It may seem that after several recent electoral defeats of prominent national dynasts, Asia’s ‘ruling families’ are in decline. However, a closer look suggests that reports of their political deaths are premature. The most prominent recent setback was the crushing...

China has submitted its formal pledge to the UN climate negotiations. China’s target is a 60–65 percent reduction in the emissions intensity of its economy compared to 2005 levels by 2030, with carbon dioxide emissions peaking around 2030, and ‘best...

The ECB left policy unchanged.  The economic assessment was unchanged, in line with the staff forecasts made last month.  The asset purchases continue to go smoothly.  Inflation bottomed earlier this year, and it expects to remain low over the next...

While most think of environmental treaties as a positive turn for the world, a recent study indicates that these may actually be harmful to the developing economies of the world. While most think of environmental treaties as a positive turn...

At her semiannual report to Congress, Yellen said that the American economy was showing signs of persistent strength. “Prospects are favorable for further improvement in the U.S. labor market and the economy more broadly,” she said, adding that low oil...

In the 2016 presidential race, candidates from both major parties are looking for ways to address inequality. Partly, they must do so because seven years after the 2008 crash, many Americans still are not getting ahead, according to several analyses...

The US dollar remains bid.  Yellen's comments and the Beige Book signal that the Federal Reserve is still on track to raise rates this year.  In contrast, as the Draghi will make clear today, the ECB is committed to completing...

Some have asked what Africa can learn from Greece.  I argue that Greece (and others) can learn a lot from the African experience. Debt is on the rise again not just in Greece, but also across the world. A decline...

We have become used to living with the productivity puzzle but the labour market figures released today now add a labour market conundrum. The total number of people in work fell by nearly 70,000 comparing the three months to May...

Those regional Federal Reserve banks that want to hike the discount rate are gradually increasing.  Last month, the Richmond Fed joined four other regional Fed banks (Dallas, Kansas City, Philadelphia, and Cleveland).  Those regional Federal Reserve banks that want to...