News flash Jabs and jobs

Jabs and jobs

Following the worldwide loss of 255 million full-time jobs in 2020 — four times more than during the global financial crisis — the International Labour Organization (ILO) warns that we could see a loss of a further 36 million to 130 million jobs worldwide this year. The ILO says that this pain will be unevenly…

News flash The onward march of equity markets

The onward march of equity markets

Despite growing worries about post-pandemic inflation and the danger of a bubble, stock markets appear impervious to warnings from the sceptics. Where it was the technology and home entertainment sectors that surged during last year’s lockdowns, investors are now betting on cyclicals, commodities and banking to boom in a turbo-charged economic recovery. Government and central…

News flash News Flash - Bidenonomics

News Flash – Bidenonomics

During the 1980s, the US lived through Reaganomics, an economic philosophy rooted in a steadfast belief in deregulation, lower taxes on businesses and the wealthy, and less federal government spending. Now, as America starts to emerge from the pandemic, we’re seeing its almost-exact opposite on the ascent: Bidenomics. The term refers to President Joe Biden’s…

News flash Post Covid Demographics

Post Covid Demographics

One of the questions policymakers and analysts are beginning to grapple with post-pandemic is the potential impact of Covid on birth rates in a world where many rich countries are already seeing population decline. Business Insider reports that women are taking a ‘rain check’ on babies, due to both economic distress as well as their…

News flash The K-shaped economic recovery

The K-shaped economic recovery

In August 2020, we postulated as to whether the recovery of the world economy would take the shape of a V- or a U- or an L. What we are seeing emerge instead is a K-shape recovery, where different parts of the economy and different countries recover at different rates and in different magnitudes. A…

News flash

A cocktail of optimism

The world economy is showing surprising resilience in the wake of the pandemic, boosted by fiscal stimulus and low interest rates. Several large economies have reported higher than expected GDP growth for the first quarter of this year. Year-on-year, China’s economy grew by a record 18.3% in the first quarter, while US output in the…