Financial

Davos survives by staging power, not by exercising it Ritualized presence replaces accountability and real decision-making Its persistence reveals deep institutional and educational gaps Inflation no longer creeps; it bolts

Climate shocks now directly strain public budgets and weaken tax bases Disaster spending and insurance gaps are becoming fiscal risks Without EU coordination, climate risk turns into a lasting deficit The most revealing

Inflation spreads faster because firms reprice in response to shocks, not calendars Energy and AI amplify this speed, but state-dependent pricing is the core driver Policy and education must adapt to inflation that moves in days, not months

Selling US Treasuries hurts the seller first by lowering the value of what remains Only coordinated action by major holders could move markets, and that coordination is unlikely US Treasuries function as a shared stability asset, not a usable financial weapon

FDI now succeeds by linking into global value chains, not by expanding domestic production German investment in China uses local labor and efficiency while value stays global Policy should shape how FDI integrates into chains, not just how much arrives

The early-2020s inflation surge was driven by energy and supply shocks, not monetary excess Energy costs set off pricing cascades and productivity losses across key sectors Policy should prioritize supply resilience over demand tightening <

Unified decision-making, reporting, and collaboration frameworkKorean-language–centric system overhauled to global standards

Spending capacity intact, but purchase decisions delayedLocal brands gain ground as buying criteria shift

Soaring Approval Ratings Ahead of Snap Election Expansionary Fiscal Push Without Clear Funding Plan Markets Amplify Distrust Over “Fiscal Discipline Erosion” Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi of Japan/Photo=Liberal

Payment stablecoins now hold a quiet form of monetary privilege It comes from settlement design, not true money creation Until issuers are regulated as banks, the system remains distorted In 2024, stablecoins used for payments handled tri

The market value of a degree now depends more on skills than prestige Employers pay for verified, job-ready learning Education policy must validate outcomes, not labels The worth of a college degree is changing quickly.

Steel’s core material also yields to oversupplyVertical integration weakens bargaining power

Market intervention moves into a phase of depleted ammunitionConstraints on banks’ and companies’ foreign-currency operations likely

Homeplus Sees Payment Delays Spill Into Unpaid Supplier Bills and Wages Amid a Cash Crunch Labor and Management Urge DIP Financing, Saying Support Is Needed to Normalize Operations Potential DIP Lenders Meritz Financial and Korea Development Bank Show Limited Appetite for Additional Funding

China Signals Determination to Break from the Dollar and Build a New Reserve Currency Xi Jinping Calls for a “Strong Currency,” Urges Elevation of the Renminbi to Reserve Status U.S.

Trump-Fueled Dollar Distrust Drove Gold Frenzy Speculative Funds Exit En Masse on Warsh Nomination Talk Viewed as ‘Relatively Less Pro-Trump’ Figure Gold prices, which had been on what many described as a “ceiling-less rally” amid China’s massiv

The dollar’s strength is increasingly driven by funding stress, not stable safe-haven confidence China’s shift from U.S. Treasuries toward gold reflects rising concern over U.S.

SFDR has increased disclosure, but it has not shifted capital in a meaningful way Europe’s sustainable finance rules prioritize paperwork over market consequences Real reform must link sustainability claims to enforceable financial incentives

The weak dollar reflects a loss of trust in U.S. financial stability Political risk is now priced directly into U.S.

Debt service exceeds new capital inflows Record principal and interest burdens amid “reverse capital flows” Trade share at 44%, with vast spillovers for the global economy As global public debt rises rapidly across low- and middle-income countri