Not so fast: why the EM ‘convergence’ story is losing steam
For years, the big-picture, long-term story in the global economy has been that of convergence. The dates and metrics vary but not the broad forecast: if current trends hold, then, around the middle of...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Korean carmakers protest as Chile prepares diesel tax
South Korean carmakers are up in arms over Chile’s proposed bill to impose an environment tax on diesel vehicles, which is likely to hit Korea’s car exports to the Latin American country and cause...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Do trade deals really matter?
Nations have negotiated trade agreements in one form or another for centuries. And for centuries economists have undoubtedly been facing the same question: Do trade agreements really matter? The...
View ArticleFive reasons why the picture is looking gloomy for global trade…
The World Trade Organisation released its latest forecasts for global trade on Tuesday and it is not a pretty picture. The WTO’s economists have lowered their forecasts sharply. They now expect global...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Guest post: US / India food deal and the WTO
By Kavaljit Singh of Madhyam After months of stalemate, India and the US have agreed to resolve their differences over food stock holdings, opening the way for future implementation of the Trade...
View ArticleClik here to view.
The US and India: a trade truce with a twist
Last week was a bad week for us sceptics of global governance, or so it seemed. The US and China struck a deal on reducing carbon emissions that some fairly serious people found not to be meaningless....
View ArticleClik here to view.
Guest post: which sectors face the greatest risks of protectionism?
By Simon J Evenett of the University of St Gallen Three reports on protectionism have recentyly been published in as many weeks: by the WTO , by the European Commission (EC), and by the independent...
View ArticleHSBC asks: how big is China?
When the IMF announced this year that China’s economy had overtaken the US economy at purchasing power parity, there was some skepticism about the usefulness of PPP calculations and widespread...
View ArticleClik here to view.
A three-point guide to closer Indian/Russian relations
Vladimir Putin, Russia’s president, and Narendra Modi, India’s prime minister, met in New Delhi on Thursday for the 15th Annual India-Russia summit. Although normally a low-key event, this year’s...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Mexico: car quotas and soapy South American fish
Just over a month to go, and Mexican car exports to Argentina and Brazil (which Mexico has overtaken as No. 1 Latin American car maker) should be back on track after a three year system of quotas....
View ArticleClik here to view.
Guest post: pitfalls of shipping to Brazil
By Chris Tucker of MBX Systems “What do you know about shipping product into Brazil?” When I think of the conversations I have had with our appliance customers over the last several years, this...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Guest post: divisive trade blocs set to punish consumers
By Takashi Mitachi, Boston Consulting Group The prize of a new World Trade Organisation (WTO) deal eluded negotiators in Bali at the end of 2013, collapsing over Indian concerns that the planned deal...
View ArticleClik here to view.
The Brics’ export competitiveness – even worse than previously thought?
That export performance of the Brics has been disappointing in recent years is well known. What hasn’t been appreciated is the extraordinary lengths the governments of Brazil, Russia, India, China and...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Obama’s Kenya visit: no big deal… and why the ordinary nature of it signals...
“Obama’s three day visit will mark a historic moment in Kenya’s 52 year history as it is the first time a sitting US President will be visiting the country… this is the perfect time to stock your...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Currency depreciation is silver lining of Brazil’s recession
Brazil is undergoing its most severe recession in decades, with GDP expected to contract more than 3 per cent this year. Policy adjustments and the fallout from the Petrobras corruption scandal have...
View ArticleClik here to view.
The WTO’s Nairobi meetings: time to stop the rot
The World Trade Organization’s Tenth Ministerial Conference gets under way today in Nairobi – the first time the meetings have been held in Africa. Fourteen years ago, the WTO launched its Doha Round...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Globalisation is whimpering. Is EM to blame?
This is the way the world ends Not with a bang but a whimper. T S Eliot, “The Hollow Men”, 1925. Actually when it comes to globalisation, we are used to seeing things end with a bang. That’s what...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Muslim wealth funds stalk halal food acquisitions
By Tomás Guerrero, IE Business School Nearly all muslim-majority countries currently import much of the food they consume, with imports, as in the case of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries,...
View ArticleClik here to view.
India overhauls its investment treaty regime
In a surprising recent move, India has served notices to 57 countries including the UK, Germany, France and Sweden seeking termination of bilateral investment treaties (BITs) whose initial duration has...
View ArticleClik here to view.
What will it take to boost Mexico’s role in world trade?
There’s little doubt that Mexico’s government and private sector have been working overtime to increase global trade. A recent report by the World Economic Forum and Bain & Company spelled out a...
View Article
