In the fourth quarter of 2023, the percentage of credit cards in the United States whose owners were 30 days or more behind on required payments reached over 3.5%, the highest level since 2012. The Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia reported that the rate increased by roughly 30 basis points (bps) from the prior quarter. "The difficulties faced by credit cardholders are also reflected in the...

The International Tin Association (ITA) has released preliminary figures showing that global refined tin production fell by 2.1% to 370.1 thousand tons in 2023. Peru's Minsur held the second-place spot in the world's output rankings, behind China's Yunnan Tin Co. (YTC) which keeps holding the first place. In the meantime, PT Timah of Indonesia keeps falling in the world rankings. Last year, the...

Annualized consumer prices increased by 2.4% in March in the eurozone, reported the European Statistical Agency (Eurostat). This is less than both the actual numbers for February (2.6%) and forecasts of analysts polled by Bloomberg (2.5%). In March, the cost of food, beverages, and tobacco products went up 2.7%, while the cost of electricity went down 1.8%. Simultaneously, service prices continue...

Many businesses are reportedly in a "hurry" to obtain money from the bond market prior to the US presidential election in November, writes the Financial Times. According to LSEG, $806 billion worth of dollar bonds have been issued since the year's commencement.  This is the highest since 1990 and is 40% greater than it was during the same time last year. According to bankers and investors...

According to the Bank of Japan, the Tankan index, which measures the level of confidence that big process sector businesses have in Japan's economy, dropped from 13 points in October-December of last year to 11 points in the first quarter. The indicator has declined for the first time in a year. Trading Economics reports that analysts expected a larger decline to 10 points on average. The...

The benchmark lending rate (LPR) for one year was maintained at 3.45% annually by the People's Bank of China (PBOC), the nation's central bank. Five-year borrowing rates remained at 3.95%, historically low. In February, the Chinese central bank reduced the five-year loan rate by 25 basis points in an attempt to prop up the economy, which was being battered by a persistent downturn in the real...

According to calculations made by the consulting firm Oliver Wyman, businesses involved in commodity trading made $100 billion in profits overall by the end of 2023. This is the second-highest figure after the record-breaking year of 2022, when overall earnings reached approximately $150 billion. After the turbulent events of 2022, which included supply chain disruptions, high market volatility,...

According to the German newspaper NIUS, the number of bankrupt companies in Germany has been in the double digits for the past year and a half, and there is every reason to anticipate that it will continue to rise. There were 17,814 German company bankruptcies in 2023, a 22.1% rise from the previous year. The authors stress that 38% more major bankruptcies were reported than a year earlier, and...

A number of American airlines have stated that they anticipate a decrease in aircraft deliveries in 2024 because of Boeing's issues. Southwest Airlines announced on March 12 that it had received word from Boeing that, contrary to expectations, the company would only be able to obtain 46 737 MAX 8 aircraft this year, as opposed to 79. The airline stated that as a result, it will have to alter its...