Markets | Ideals

Bill To Outlaw Trade In Dog Meat Passed By The Parliament Of South Korea

South Korea's parliament passed a bill on Tuesday to ban the consumption and sale of dog meat, outlawing the contentious centuries-old practice amid increased support for animal welfare. ...

The Two Priciest Cities In The World Are Singapore And Zurich

The Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) has announced that Singapore and Zurich were tied for the most expensive cities in the world this year, followed by Geneva, New York, and Hong Kong....

Pocket wallets vs. smartphones: Can we replace cash with digital currencies?

The more than a decade-long history of cryptocurrency has clearly demonstrated that the world is keen on the new form of money. The crypto frenzy has even prompted leading central banks to work on...

New Mexico's $567 Million Fine Puts Meta's Youth Strategy Under Pressure

Congo Tightens Mineral Exports to Force Higher-Value Processing

Trump Crypto Divestiture Plan Could Turn Ethics Rule Into Tax Deferral

Airbnb's Growth Engine Strengthens as Travel Demand and AI Deliver

China’s Shift to Domestic Supply Widens Germany’s Trade Deficit

Markets

China’s Shift to Domestic Supply Widens Germany’s Trade Deficit

Germany's widening trade deficit with China is exposing a deeper transformation in the relationship between Europe's largest economy and the world's manufacturing powerhouse. Preliminary figures for the first half of 2026 show German exports to China falling by more than 12 percent to just under 37...

Congo Tightens Mineral Exports to Force Higher-Value Processing

The Democratic Republic of the Congo has taken another significant step toward reshaping its mineral economy by immediately prohibiting exports of copper and cobalt concentrates, according to a government order reviewed by Reuters. The measure is aimed less at stopping mineral exports altogether...

Trump Crypto Divestiture Plan Could Turn Ethics Rule Into Tax Deferral

A proposed ethics provision linked to the United States cryptocurrency market structure bill could create an unusual outcome for President Donald Trump: a measure designed to address his financial conflicts could also allow him to defer taxes on gains generated when he sells certain crypto-related...

US-Iran War Reaches Egypt's Energy Corridor

A drone strike on two gas vessels at Egypt's Damietta Port has opened an unexpected new dimension in the United States-Iran conflict, bringing a country that had largely remained outside the direct military confrontation into the growing map of regional security risks. Although no organisation has...

Weak July Demand Deepens China's Manufacturing Slowdown

China's manufacturing sector lost momentum in July, highlighting how weakening domestic demand is becoming a more significant drag on the world's second-largest economy despite continued resilience in several export-oriented industries. Fresh factory surveys suggest that the country's growth model...

Central Banks Prioritise Flexibility Over Aggressive Rate Moves

The world's leading central banks are entering a new phase of monetary policymaking in which uncertainty, rather than inflation alone, is dictating interest rate decisions. Although inflation remains above target in several advanced economies and energy markets continue to pose upside risks,...

Food Safety Risks Test Fast-Food Growth Strategies

Yum Brands' latest quarterly results illustrate how quickly an operational crisis can overshadow strong financial performance in the restaurant industry. Despite reporting better-than-expected earnings and healthy comparable sales growth across its major brands, the company now faces a more...

Asset Scale Widens the Divide Among Private Equity Firms

The latest earnings from KKR offer more than another strong quarterly performance from a leading alternative asset manager. They highlight a broader shift in private equity, where scale, diversification and the ability to monetize investments are becoming increasingly important competitive...

Picukup Truck Profits Deepen the Global Auto Divide

The global automotive industry is entering a phase where success is being shaped less by manufacturing scale than by geography and strategic positioning. The latest earnings from several leading automakers reveal a widening divide between companies benefiting from North America's enduring appetite...

AI Investment Rewires Asia's Air Cargo Network

Asia's air cargo industry is undergoing one of its most significant structural shifts in decades as the global artificial intelligence investment boom replaces cross-border e-commerce as the sector's principal engine of growth. According to airline executives, logistics companies and industry...

Oil and Tariffs Lift Dollar Through Inflation Expectations

Rising oil prices and a renewed wave of trade tariffs are reinforcing inflation concerns across global financial markets, strengthening the U.S. dollar and pushing Treasury yields to multi-month highs. Rather than being driven by conventional economic data, the latest gains in the dollar reflect...

Oil Market Buffers Limit War-Driven Price Shock

Five months of military confrontation involving the United States, Israel and Iran have repeatedly raised fears of a historic oil price surge. Early projections suggested that Brent crude could climb to between $150 and $200 per barrel if conflict disrupted exports through the Strait of Hormuz, the...