World & Politics
ESM Director: We cannot compare Italian and Greek crises - 10/11/2018
Managing Director of the European Stability Mechanism (ESM), Klaus Regling, stated that it is not fair to compare current concerns about the Italian budget deficit and the problems of Greece in the midst of the debt crisis. This is reported by CNBC. Over the past 8 years in the time of the crisis in the euro zone, Italy has never lost access to markets, Regling told CNBC during the annual meeting...
Is there a drug crisis in the US? - 10/11/2018
Indirect costs of the United States due to addiction of Americans to opioids amount to $ 500 billion annually. During the 73rd session of the UN General Assembly, US President Donald Trump drew attention of the world community to growth of drug addiction: drugs continue to take lives in the United States and around the world, and illicit drug trafficking is associated with crime, terrorism and...
US allows Iran to extract gas in the North Sea - 10/10/2018
The US Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) has licensed British companies BP and Serica to develop the large Rhum gas field in the North Sea, in which 50% is owned by the National Oil Company of Iran (NIOC). Now the British can work with the NIOC to develop the field without fear of US sanctions. However, in accordance with the sanctions regime, the funds owed to the Iranian side will be...
Central Bank of China softens banks' reserve requirements - 10/09/2018
The Central Bank of China keeps moderating policy easing, once again reducing reserve requirements for banks. The regulator hopes that this move will expand business access to lending and will compensate for deterioration of business activity against the backdrop of US-imposed trade restrictions. Experts, however, indicate that the effect of lowering requirements will be limited: the Chinese...
OECD: Trade barriers impede digital trade - 10/09/2018
Digitalization has added to volume, scope and speed of international trade, significantly reduced cost of participation in it, simplified coordination of global value chains, promoted dissemination of ideas and technologies and establishment of connections between business and consumers around the world, according to the Organization of Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) report. The...
Is Brazil going to elect its own Trump? - 10/05/2018
The presidential race in Brazil reached the finish line: Friday is the last day of campaigning in print media. The elections will be held on October 7, but we can hardly expect to know name of the new President right away. Most likely, the second round will become a competition between the right conservative Jair Bolsonaro, who was nicknamed "Brazilian Trump", and Fernando Haddad from the left...
Inflation in Turkey reaches 15-year high in September - 10/03/2018
Consumer prices in Turkey grew by 24.52% in annual terms in September, according to data from the Turkish Institute of Statistics. Analysts polled by Bloomberg, on average, predicted a price increase of 21.1%. Compared with August, consumer prices rose by 6.3%, the highest rates since April 2001. Analysts forecasted a growth rate of 3.4%. Inflation in Turkey accelerated against the backdrop of...
Dutch submarine deal: understanding the underpinnings of the equation - 10/03/2018
In the coming years, the Netherlands is due to replace its fleet of four submarines, which has served its time. Despite the relatively small fleet, it will represent a strategic investment for The Hague, which will take the time to choose wisely. What ambitions lie behind the deal, and what is the new fleet meant to accomplish?
Donald Trump agrees to USMCA instead of NAFTA - 10/01/2018
Following talks on renegotiation of the Agreement on the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), which took place in Ottawa, Canada, the United States and Mexico reached consensus on a new trade agreement that will replace NAFTA. The new modernized agreement has already been called the USMCA (the United States — Mexico — Canada Agreement). The countries plan to sign it within 60 days. The...
ECB expects slow pace of economic development in Europe and the US in 2019 - 09/28/2018
The ECB's Economic Bulletin, published on Thursday, revised downward medium-term forecasts of the euro zone’s GDP growth. The ECB's June forecast for growth in Europe was generally optimistic. Now, however, the European Central Bank is inclined to believe that 2016-2017 would be the best in this...
