Global food prices continue to rise, reaching a six-year high in April, according to the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO). Global food prices hit a six-year high in April as the FAO reported the average food price index was 120.9 points, up 30.8% from April 2020 and 1.7% from March 2021. The index has risen to its highest level since May 2014 but has not yet hit an all-time high: in...

The inflow of funds to emerging markets accelerated in April: according to the International Institute of Finance (IIF), $45.5bn was raised in bonds and equities compared with $10.1bn in March. The US Federal Reserve is increasingly pointing to a recovery of the US economy, but according to the Institute, the situation in emerging markets is now better than in 2013, when the US regulator's...

Electric cars and hybrids will account for the majority of vehicles sold in the world in five years, Boston Consulting Group forecasts. In 2026, more than half of global passenger car sales will be in electrified cars, predicts Boston Consulting Group (BCG). Last year the company's experts argued that this figure (51%) would only be reached by 2030, but they revised their forecasts because of the...

Airlines have experienced an unexpected but welcome trend: people who used to fly in economy class have started buying business class tickets more often. Airlines have noticed an increased demand for seats in business class, not from its traditional passengers who traveled for business purposes, but in the more mass segment, which used to choose economy class. That's what Bloomberg writes....

International rating agency Moody's has upgraded its outlook on the global energy sector to positive from stable on the back of rising energy prices and recovering demand for commodities, the agency said in a statement. "Sustained commodity price growth amid a global economic recovery should support a turn in the industry during the next 12-18 months," the agency wrote. The agency keeps its...

Chinese companies have never before floated their securities on U.S. exchanges so aggressively, the Financial Times reports. According to Dealogic, since the beginning of the year, Chinese companies have raised a record $11 billion through IPOs and subsequent stock sales and bond issues. This is 440% more than in the first quarter of 2020. Bloomberg reports that Chinese companies raised $6.6...

The price of palladium hit a historic record, approaching the $2.9k level. Structural shortages of the precious metal on the global market are pushing prices up, especially on the back of a strong recovery in demand from the automotive industry. On Thursday, April 22, the price of palladium hit an all-time high. According to Bloomberg, the precious metal rose 0.6% during the day to $2891.5 per...

Gold is approaching $1800 an ounce after a two-month break. The metal rose by almost 3.5% in five days. The rise in prices is linked to a decline in US rates and concerns about the outlook for the global economy amid an increase in the number of coronavirus-infected people around the world. Gold prices on the global spot market renewed a two-month high on April 21. According to Reuters, the cost...

In 2021, the global airline industry will suffer a loss of $47.7 billion, the International Air Transport Association (IATA) said in a report. It is higher than the $38 billion loss forecast in IATA's November report. However, the organisation expected a stronger recovery of the industry starting from the second quarter of 2021. Meanwhile, compared to losses for 2020, which IATA estimates at...