Macroeconomy & Globalization

Economies depend on productivity growth to raise wages and living standards. Why isn’t an era of unprecedented innovation also seeing major gains in productivity?

U.S. President Donald Trump's withdrawal from the Trans-Pacific Partnership prompted the other 11 nations that were party to the agreement to forge ahead in a new pact without the U.S.

The head of the world’s largest economic cooperation organization speaks one-on-one with Global Finance about the pace of international trade—and the risks that confront it.

According to a Cambridge Econometrics report a “hard Brexit,” in which the country would leave both the EU customs union and the single market, could cost the UK almost half a million jobs and about $64.7 billion in investment by 2030.

The UK’s decision to leave the EU and the dwindling strength of German Chancellor Angela Merkel, who saw her party diminished in Germany’s recent federal elections, have given Macron a rare chance to bolster French influence.

The deal sends a strong signal that two of the world’s major exporters still believe in the merits of open markets.

Bridges, ports, roads and dams:  Infrastructure investment is having a moment in the sun. But will it rise to the high hopes so many have that it can rebuild crumbling economies around the world? 

Which countries lead the global knowledge economy? At least one academic suggests that current assessments of a country’s knowledge base are too narrow and reliant on averages. In research to be presented in April at INSEAD, Kai Chan argues that a nation's brightest talent—not its average capabilities—determine its knowledge capacity.

A 35-page essay in the archives of the US-China Economic and Security Review Commission shows how Robert Lighthizer, a veteran attorney who is now Trump’s pick for US Trade Representative, might approach America's $30 billion-a-month trade deficit with China.

From Occupy Wall Street and the Arab Spring to surprising victories for Brexit and Trump, citizens around the globe are pushing back against their leaders’ policy choices.

Global Finance presented awards to central bankers from around the globe who earned top grades in our annual report cards at a ceremony in Washington, DC, coinciding with the annual IMF/World Bank meetings. 

As the commercial world becomes more litigious, individuals and corporations are increasingly hamstrung from pursuing justified legal claims by a lack of liquidity or other means of financing.

PNC Bank’s head of retail banking and chief customer officer, Karen Larrimer, details how to match customer needs with technology.

The banking industry’s leading lights have largely adjusted their business plans to a world of tighter regulations, higher capital requirements and less leverage. Now, they are taking on new competitors by embracing the very information technology that has disrupted their business.

Uncertainty over the future has grown, while growth forecasts have been cut.

The question this year for investors in China is whether the government will continue moving toward a free-market economy—or keep grabbing the wheel.

The republic of Trinidad and Tobago girds for austerity as oil brings in less foreign exchange.

Brazil: The Banco Central do Brasil gave new Finance minister Nelson Barbosa a bit of help on January 20, when it decided to hold the short-term interest rate, the Selic, to 14.25%.

The foundations for economic recovery have been laid by Matteo Renzi’s government, which is tackling fundamental issues at the heart of Italy’s problems. But he has yet to work his magic on public spending.

Trends | Peace Deals
Low oil prices are widening Colombia’s current-account deficit, dampening the confidence of foreign investors and dragging down the economy.