Markets

Many consider hatred and conflict inevitable, owing to a fundamental clash of values and interests. Fifty years ago, U.S. President J.F. Kennedy showed that peace could be achieved even in the most difficult circumstances. His courage, vision, eloquence, and political...

There are no easy, risk-free paths to development and prosperity but borrowing money from international financial markets is a strategy with huge downside risks. It is no secret that sovereign bonds carry significantly higher borrowing costs than concessional debt does,...

The competition between China and Japan, the two economic heavyweights of East Asia, has now intensified at a time when both countries are hungrier than ever for resources and energy to cope with its development challenges. Earlier this month, Japan pledged some...

After nearly a decade of rapid GDP growth, peaking at 11.228 percent in 2010, India's economy has slowed significantly – plagued by stalled reforms, huge corruption scandals and bureaucratic inaction. In 2012, India’s GDP growth rate (constant prices, national currency)...

In its relentless quest for energy to fuel its booming economy, India, the second largest buyer of Iranian oil, has struck a neat diplomatic balance: Delhi has managed to maintain friendly ties and oil shipments from Tehran without antagonising Washington,...

The United States' global primacy depends in large part on its ability to develop new technologies and industries faster than any other country. However, after decades of intensified globalization and the rise of the large emerging economies, such as China,...

The United Kingdom is made up of England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland. It has the fifth largest national economy—measured by nominal GDP—in the world, and the second largest in Europe. In 2013, the United Kingdom (UK) was the world's...

The UK is the 7th leading importer and the 12th leading exporter in the world. Accordingly, the UK holds a massive trade deficit with the rest of the world, second only to the US. In 2012, UK imports were worth...

During the heyday of the British Empire, the UK was the largest and most influential economy in the world. As the birthplace of the industrial revolution, the UK was at the forefront of technological advances during the 18th to 19th...

Historically, the UK has been one of greatest economic influencers in the world. As the epicentre of the first Industrial Revolution during the 18th century, the UK ushered in what economic historians agree to be the most significant event in...

The UK economy has endured disappointing growth following the 2008-2009 global financial crisis. Prior to the financial crisis, the economy was experiencing GDP growth rates of around 3 percent; but after the economy contracted by 0.968 percent and 3.974 percent...

  For those who are wondering how high oil prices need to be to be considered “too high”, the answer is: We are already there. In fact, continued high oil prices may be the key reason behind the recessionary forces...

Noam Chomsky once said that ‘reform is a change that you’re supposed to like. So as soon as you hear the word reform, you kind of reach for your wallet and see who’s lifting it’. This statement is all the...

The discovery of shale gas has been the biggest driver in the reversal of decades of decline in U.S. oil production and has already transformed North Dakota, for example, into an economic powerhouse, boasting the nation's lowest unemployment rate and...

Western central banks have extended themselves well beyond their comfort zones and today face unusual brand management risks: Beyond inflation fighting, they have had to confront market failures, fragmented financial systems, clogged monetary-policy transmission mechanisms, and sluggish growth in output...