Global Economics Archives

Risk to Global Economy, Food Security, IMF, IEA & World Bank Warn

14Apr

By Patti MohrNo Comments

Finance, Banks, Cryptocurrency, Metals, Global Economics, Organizations, IMF, WTO, G7, UN Security Council, Types of News: Brief

Risk to Global Economy, Food Security, IMF, IEA & World Bank Warn

The IMF is holding its annual spring meetings this week. Photo from April 14 2026 press conference. April 14, 2026—The International Monetary Fund warned of market stress, higher inflation, and disproportionate harm to emerging markets due to ongoing war in the Middle East. The fund adjusted its global economic growth projections downward from 3.4 percent in 2025 to 3.1 percent in 2026, with the largest decline impacting countries in the Middle East and Central Asia. The full report for the “World Economic Outlook” and related materials won’t be available until April 30, 2026. A second report, the Global Financial Stability Report, warned of risks to financial stability. Writing in an IMF post accompanying the report, Tobias Adrian, director of the IMF's Monetary and Capital Marke...

Jamie Dimon Calls for a Rewrite of Banking Regulations

9Apr

By Patti MohrNo Comments

Finance, Banks, Cryptocurrency, Metals

Jamie Dimon Calls for a Rewrite of Banking Regulations

April 9, 2026—In his annual letter to shareholders, JP Morgan Chairman and CEO Jamie Dimon warned of risks of geopolitical tensions, economic shocks, “stickier inflation” and interest rates. He cited risks to private credit markets, particularly to highly indebted companies, due to weaker lending standards. JP Morgan is the world’s sixth largest private asset management firms. Dimon has built a reputation as a strong leader and most influential bankers in the United States. His focus as leader of the bank tends to emphasize both U.S. and global interests. In his 2026 letter, he proposes America first “though not alone.” “Now, because of the war in Iran, we additionally face the potential for significant ongoing oil and commodity price shocks, along with the reshaping of global supply...

17Mar

By Patti MohrNo Comments

Diplomacy and International Law, Global Economics, Middle East, Types of News: Brief

War Delays U.S.-China Summit

March 17, 2026—A high-profile meeting between U.S. President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping is postponed. The original date for the meeting was for March 31-April 2. Neither country issued new dates for the meeting through their spokespersons. A U.S. president has not visited China since November 2017 during Trump’s first term. Former President Joe Biden visited China while serving as vice president in 2011 and 2013, but not during his presidency. The two countries—the largest economies in the world—reached a truce in October 2025, agreeing to a one-year reduction in U.S. tariffs, a suspension of China’s restrictions on rare-earth exports, controls on fentanyl production, and a promise by China to buy U.S. agricultural products, including soybeans. Geopolitics Disru...

US Economy Weaker Than Previously Reported in 2025

13Mar

By No Comments

Global Economics

US Economy Weaker Than Previously Reported in 2025

March 13, 2026—The U.S. economy grew at an annual rate of 0.7 percent in the fourth quarter of 2025, according to a revised estimate released today by the Bureau of Economic Analysis. The bureau had previously estimated the quarterly growth at 1.4 percent, double the actual amount of economic activity. Economic activity slowed due to a government shutdown and reductions in U.S. service exports, consumer spending, and manufacturing business investment. Over all quarters, the U.S. economy grew by 2.1 percent in 2025. Source: https://www.bea.gov/news/2026/gdp-second-estimate-4th-quarter-and-year-2025

Fed Nominee Kevin Warsh Wants ‘Regime Change’ at the Central Bank

3Feb

By Patti MohrNo Comments

Finance, Banks, Cryptocurrency, Metals, Finance, Currency, Debt, National Budgets & Interest Rates, Types of News: Brief

Fed Nominee Kevin Warsh Wants ‘Regime Change’ at the Central Bank

Gold, Silver, and Crypto Fall From Highs as USD Strengthens February 2, 2026—President Trump’s nomination of Kevin Warsh to lead the U.S. central bank calmed recent trepidations in the markets about the value of the U.S. dollar. The term Fed Chair Jerome Powell expires in May 2026. Powell faces massive political pressure by Trump, including an ongoing criminal probe by the Justice Department related to construction expenses. Economist and Former Fed Governor Warsh is an economist and a former Federal Reserve Governor, familiar with both Wall Street and the governing side. Warsh is also the son-in-law to Trump’s close friend, Ronald Lauder, the billionaire heir to the Estée Lauder Companies, who—incidentally—also sparked Trump’s interest in owning Greenland. Warsh is known f...

Banking, Cryptocurrency Industries Compete for Washington’s Attention

2Feb

By Patti MohrNo Comments

Corruption, Bribes, Illicit Finance & Money Laundering, Finance, Banks, Cryptocurrency, Metals, Types of News: Brief, United States

Banking, Cryptocurrency Industries Compete for Washington’s Attention

Regulation of Stablecoins: Yield is the Issue February 2, 2026—The White House hosted a two-hour meeting today with representatives from the banking and cryptocurrency industry, two sectors that are likely to compete for capital. Though the meeting was not broadcast live, it reportedly included representatives from the American Bankers Association, the Crypto Council for Innovation, Blockchain Association, PayPal, Ripple, Tether, the Independent Community Bankers of America, and others. According to crypto journalist Eleanor Terrett, the two-hour meeting resulted in a “constructive discussion” on the risks and rewards of stablecoin yield. “Issues were framed so that both sides know where boundaries are,” Terrett posted on X on Monday. Regulations & The CLARITY Act Sinc...

27Jan

By Patti MohrNo Comments

Finance, Currency, Debt, National Budgets & Interest Rates, Global Economics, Types of News: Infographic

The Rise in Government Debt, 2000-2024

Debt-to-GDP is Soaring in These 20 Countries January 27, 2026—Debt is soaring across the world, but especially in countries considered part of the West. Five out of the seven G7 countries are in the top 10 debtor countries. Debt is measured as a ratio of the size of the economy (gross domestic product). See below how government debt in some countries, such as Japan, the United States, United Kingdom, France, Spain, and Canada, grew over the past two decades. *The illustrations do not include data from Mexico, Bangladesh, Myanmar, Singapore, most countries in Africa, including Libya, Eritea, Sudan, Kenya, and South Africa, and several countries in South America and Central America. Source: IMF The 20 countries with the highest government debt. Source: IMF

Gold Continued to Climb Amid Geopolitical Instability

23Jan

By Patti MohrNo Comments

Finance, Banks, Cryptocurrency, Metals, Finance, Currency, Debt, National Budgets & Interest Rates, Geopolitics, Global Economics, Types of News: Brief

Gold Continued to Climb Amid Geopolitical Instability

Gold is traditionally an asset of last resort. Photo by Peter Olexa. January 23, 2026—There was one clear winner amid the geopolitical tensions rocked by the U.S. encroachment into allies’ domains: Gold. The price of the precious metal climbed by 8 percent this week, from $4,600 a troy to $5,000. It was its biggest single week since the global financial crisis in 2008. It is notable because it could foreshadow economic instability and inflationary pressures for the average consumer. It could also indicate a weakening position of the United States. Asset of Last Resort Gold is traditionally an asset of last resort. Countries started moving off the gold standard in the 1930s to manage the Great Depression. The United States officially severed the link between the U.S. dollar and ...

Jamie Dimon Played It Safe in Comments; Trump Sued Him Anyway

22Jan

By Patti MohrNo Comments

Finance, Banks, Cryptocurrency, Metals, Types of News: Brief, United States

Jamie Dimon Played It Safe in Comments; Trump Sued Him Anyway

Five Years After Bank Closed His Accounts, Trump Sues Bank and CEO Jamie Dimon spoke at the World Economic Forum on January 21, 2026. January 22, 2026—A day after JPMorgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon gave an interview at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland in which he was largely deferential to President Donald Trump, Trump sued both the bank and Dimon for $5 billion. Trump’s complaint alleges libel and unfair and deceptive trade practices. He accused the Wall Street firm, one of the world’s largest private investment companies, of debanking his bank accounts without warning on February 19, 2021. Debanking is a term used to describe the sudden closure by a financial institution of a client’s account, often based on non-financial reasons for risk management. Critics refer ...

What is a K-Shaped Economy? And Why Does It Matter?

28Dec

By Patti MohrNo Comments

Big Tech, Digital Economy, Global Economics, Types of News: Analysis, United States

What is a K-Shaped Economy? And Why Does It Matter?

The U.S. Economy Produces Winners and Losers The K-shaped economy produces winners and losers. A K-shaped economy emerges when the economy as a whole grows but different segments of the population experience the growth with vastly different outcomes. It depicts a point in time when economic inequality grows. Those with high incomes and savings make more money while those who have limited savings and have moderate to low incomes face economic hardship, such as high debt and higher costs of health care, housing, and groceries. Meanwhile, those who are not invested in the stock market—somewhere between 37 percent (Gallop) or 57.2 percent (Philadelphia Federal Reserve)—do not benefit from gains in the market. Economic Growth as Both a Reality and an Illusion The reason for notic...