Markets

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How BNPL works and how it’s spreading after the pandemic crisis

Although Buy Now Pay Later (BNPL) emerged before the pandemic, the attractive e-commerce payment option is soaring on post-COVID adoption. BNPL provides short-term financing to online shoppers, allowing them to split the cost of purchases into affordable installments. For most shoppers, BNPL is a comfortable payment alternative since it lets them enjoy goods instantly while …

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How could the FED implement Quantitative Tightening?

In the past two decades, national banks pumped trillions into their economies to grapple with recession and stimulate economic growth in a process called Quantitative Easing (QE). However, with inflation at a 40-year high, the Federal Reserve, alongside other central banks, is backtracking from this policy in a bid to raise interest rates and disincentivize …

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World Bank: growth down, towards a two-speed recovery

The World Bank has warned in a recent report that, due to headwinds such as inflation and vaccine inequality, the world faces a two-speed recovery that could damage prior strides in global economic development. Although there’s likely to be a general slowdown after the strong rebound in 2021, the results and any eventual recovery that …

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Rising energy costs worldwide: reasons and what to expect

I have closely followed the recent upsurge in energy costs that characterized the end of 2021. According to global reports, coal, gas, and electricity prices rose to decade-high levels in the final months of the year, and projections were that the energy shortfall would continue well into 2022. The International Energy Association reports that gas …

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Inflation hits middle-class consumption and remains an uncertainty for the economy

As the world looks to bounce back from the 2020 COVID-induced slump, inflation is playing a larger role than anticipated in global economies. A slower than expected economic recovery, a flagging labor market, and supply chain disruptions have created concerning inflationary conditions, affecting middle-class families globally. For instance, the UN Food and Agriculture Organization reports …

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No one is safe until we are all safe

US Trade Representative Katherine Tai announced that “these extraordinary times and circumstances call for extraordinary measures. The US supports the waiver of IP (intellectual property) protections on COVID-19 vaccines to help end the pandemic and we will actively participate in WTO (World Trade Organisation) negotiations to make that happen”. It is reported that 10-15 billion …

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FINMA 2020 Risk Monitor

FINMA independent supervisor of the Swiss financial market, has published its annual Risk Monitor. This report specifies the most important risks that supervised institutions are currently encountering and portrays the focus of FINMA’s supervisory activity. After having reviewed the report, I can easily say that the omnipresent word is undoubtedly COVID. The pandemic has triggered …

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