Markets & Industries
US new home sales rise better than forecast in December - 01/27/2022
New home sales in the US rose 11.9% in December from the revised November figure to 811,000, data from the US Commerce Department's Census Bureau showed. Analysts polled by DailyFX expected the figure to rise to 760,000 from the previous month's initial level of 744,000. The November figure was revised up to 725,000. Compared to December 2020, when sales stood at 943,000, the month under review...
Global steel production up 3.6% in 2021 - 01/26/2022
Global steel production in 2021 was 1.912 billion tonnes, up 3.6% from 2020, according to the World Steel Association (WSA). CIS countries, according to preliminary data, increased steel output by 5.6% to 105.6 million tonnes. The EU countries produced 152.5 million tonnes of steel (up 15.4%), including Germany with 40.1 million (up 12.3%). The remaining European countries increased steel output...
IATA notes growth in global air cargo traffic in 2021 - 01/26/2022
Global air cargo traffic for 2021 is up 6.9 per cent on 2019, according to an International Air Transport Association (IATA) press release. By 2020, the figure was up 18.7 per cent. According to the association, North America (19.8%), the Middle East (10.5%) and Africa (10.2%) saw the strongest growth in air cargo last year compared to pre-2019. Europe grew by 3.7% and Asia Pacific (APAC) by...
EC bans US cheesemakers from selling US-made 'gruyere' to the EU - 01/21/2022
US cheesemakers who have won the right to use the protected geographical indication of Swiss gruyere cheese will not be able to supply such products to the EU. In early January, a court in the US ruled that the name ‘Gruyere’ was perceived by US consumers as a particular kind of cheese, so it could not be registered as a trademark for products from specific regions in Switzerland and France....
Global FDI volume surges in 2021 - 01/20/2022
According to a report released by the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), global foreign direct investment increased by 77 percent from 2020 to about $1.65 trillion in 2021, surpassing pre-pandemic levels. "Global foreign direct investment (FDI) flows rose 77 percent to about $1.65 trillion in 2021, up from $929 billion in 2020, surpassing their pre-pandemic COVID-19...
EIA forecasts oil production growth in major US oil and gas areas - 01/19/2022
Oil production in the main US oil and gas producing areas, a large part of which is shale oil, will rise by 104,000 barrels per day, or 1.2%, to 8.54 million barrels in February compared with the current month, the Energy Information Administration (EIA) of the country's Energy Department forecasts. This includes production in the Permian Basin to increase by 80,000 barrels to 5.076 million...
De Beers raises prices for diamonds amid strong demand - 01/18/2022
International diamond corporation De Beers has markedly increased prices for diamonds due to strong demand, with small stones seeing the biggest increases, sources familiar with the situation told Bloomberg. Consumer demand for diamond jewelry showed a marked increase last year while supplies were limited, the agency noted. De Beers was raising diamond prices for much of 2021, and while at that...
WEF experts forcast global economic collapse due to new COVID strains - 01/17/2022
Analysts at the World Economic Forum (WEF) believe that the impact of the coronavirus pandemic and the emergence of new strains could literally bring about a collapse in the global economy. Over than 12 000 respondents from 124 countries participated in the survey. As a result, they highlighted problems to be expected in the short term. All of them are related to the consequences of the...
Global computer sales hit 10-years record in 2021 - 01/14/2022
Global PC sales in 2021 were at their highest in almost 10 years. Lenovo, Dell, HP, Asus, Apple and Acer led the PC market. PC sales have been declining since 2012, reaching a low point in 2017. The need for them has increased again due to the shift towards remote work and study. Personal computer (PC) sales hit a peak in nearly 10 years and have risen to 2012 levels, CNBC writes, citing data...
London overtakes European cities in local start-up investment - 01/14/2022
Tech startups from London attracted $25.5 billion in 2021, more than doubling their 2020 results. The UK capital surpassed all European cities in this indicator and in the world was second only to the US cities of San Francisco, New York and Boston. Experts attribute London's success to cooperation between lawmakers and the technology sector, as well as the city's accumulated talent pool. Venture...
