Chart of the WeekHigher Shipping Costs May Lift Asia’s Low Inflation
New analysis shows how increases in shipping rates have a persistent impact on consumer prices.
Chart of the WeekLonger Delivery Times Reflect Supply Chain Disruptions
By Parisa Kamali and Alex (Shiyao) Wang
Supply chain disruptions have become a major challenge for the global economy since the start of the pandemic. […]
A Hobbled Recovery Along Entrenched Fault Lines
The global recovery continues amid increasing uncertainty, more complex policy trade-offs.
Chart of the WeekTracking Trade During the COVID-19 Pandemic
By Diego Cerdeiro, Andras Komaromi, Yang Liu, and Mamoon Saeed
With the current fast-changing developments, policy makers need to know what is happening to the economy in real time, but they often must settle for data telling them what happened many weeks ago. […]
Region on the Rise
August 30,2018
(photo: Michael Waraksa)
SREYNITH HAK, 25, MOVED to Phnom Penh eight years ago to pursue a bachelor’s degree in media management. […]
The Long-Term Impact of Brexit on the European Union
By Jiaqian Chen, Christian Ebeke, Li Lin, Haonan Qu, and Jesse Siminitz
August 10, 2018
Versions in Español, Français, Português
A container ship entering the Port of Marseille, France: The UK is among the European Union’s largest trading partners, accounting for about 13 percent of its trade in goods and services (photo: Gerard Bottino/Newscom)
When the United Kingdom leaves the European Union, higher barriers to trade, capital flows, and labor mobility will affect output and jobs not only in the UK but also in the remaining 27 EU member states. […]
Smartphones Drive New Global Tech Cycle, but Is Demand Peaking?
By Benjamin Carton, Joannes Mongardini, and Yiqun Li
February 8, 2018
Demand for smartphones is highly cyclical and related to the release of new models (photo: iStock by GettyImages).
Over a decade of spectacular growth, demand for smartphones has created a new global tech cycle that last year produced a new smartphone for every fifth person on earth.
This has created a complex and evolving supply chain across Asia, changing the export and growth performance of several countries. While our recent analysis of Chinese smartphone exports suggests that the global market may be saturated, demand for other electronics continues to support rising semiconductor production in Asia. […]
Japan Stands Up
In a display of its resilience, Japan is getting up once again after the devastating earthquake and tsunami of a year ago. But the world’s third largest economy still faces multiple challenges, and in our latest assessment of the country’s economy, the Japanese mission team at the International Monetary Fund has proposed a range of mutually reinforcing policies to strengthen confidence, raise growth and help restore Japan’s economic vitality.