Otaviano Canuto: Dependency and Disconnect of U.S. Financial Markets

U.S. stock and corporate bond markets performed extraordinarily well from the March financial shock caused by covid-19 to the end of last month. Then, three consecutive weeks of decline in the three major stock market indexes have been followed this

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Between a Rock and a Hard Place: UK Discovers the Hard Limits of Its ‘Newfound’ Sovereignty

It is not a good time to be a supporter of Brexit. If spin were a tradeable commodity, all would be exceptionally well in the realm. Alas, it is not. The attempt by Prime Minister Boris Johnson to supplant essential

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The Twilight Zone of Fiscal Stimulus

Now in its second iteration, the corona pandemic no longer inspires the blind fear it did just six months ago. Governments are taking stock of the damage wrought and have begun exploring ways to repair economies derailed by lockdowns, social

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Middle East – Business Trumps Politics

Joint business ventures, and the pragmatism required for success, laid the groundwork for the normalisation of relations between Israel and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) which was marked by the touchdown of the first official El Al flight at Abu

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World Bank on COVID-19 in Africa: Can Safety Nets Ease Social and Economic Impacts?

Across the world, governments have geared up to respond to the socio-economic shock of the coronavirus pandemic. Early action in countries hard-hit by the crisis range from economic stimulus packages and the lowering of interest rates to social safety nets

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Vietnam – No Stopping Country on the Ascendancy

After two decades of recording full employment and boisterous growth rates, Vietnam has taken a significant, though far from fatal, economic hit even as the country received near-universal praise for its deft handling of the Corona Pandemic. Though most of

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Otaviano Canuto: Brazil, South Korea – Two Tales of Climbing an Income Ladder

The “middle-income trap” has captured many developing countries: they succeeded in evolving from low per capita income levels, but then appeared to stall, losing momentum along the route toward the higher income levels of advanced economies (Gill & Kharas, 2007,

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Sweden – A Controversial Approach Belatedly Vindicated

The Swedes are a trusting lot. Asked if they usually confide in ‘other people’, almost two-thirds of Swedes answered ‘yes’. In the US and the UK, the comparable numbers hover around the 30 percent mark. According to data tabulated by

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Women’s Brain Project on COVID-19: Sex and Gender Differences Paving the Way for Precision Medicine

On February 10, an executive committee member of the Women’s Brain Project (WBP) travelled to China, taking medical aid and scientific knowledge to help in the first COVID-19 outbreak. While she was not able to reach Wuhan, during her time

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Kristalina Georgieva, Managing Director of the IMF: Europe and the Global Recovery in 2021

We are at a point in our history where it is paramount to concentrate on what this crisis entails, what are the risks and opportunities a recovery will present to us, and how to bring the world together. These will

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