“Normalisation” is on the horizon, but bumps in the road are likely. Interest rates have not bitten quite as hard as expected, while the labour markets have generally held up well, and inflation is subsiding. However, in the US, inflation may settle above the Fed’s target. In the Eurozone, prices themselves may be an issue and could ultimately hobble growth.

Public opinion has always been one of the battlefields in power struggles. Now, though, thanks to a combination of geopolitical uncertainty and the "infobesity" (information overload) of what Joseph Nye called the Information Age, the role of public opinion is strategically more important. Who gets to decide who the enemy is? Governments or public opinion? The Global North or the Global South? Who will...

Find out about ECO Tour 2024, the annual report that tells you everything you need to know about the French economy, sector by sector. Read insights from our expert economists and consulting engineers covering commodities, semiconductors, employment, renewable energy, aerospace, automotive, construction, etc.

Last week brought two important statistics from China: 2023 growth, which came in at 5.2%, just above the official 5% target; and, above all, the latest population numbers. China’s population declined by 2 million in 2023.

Faced with high inflation and severe monetary tightening, advanced economies have shown unexpected resilience thanks to a range of shock absorbers, including savings, sound private balance sheets, lower sensitivity to the interest rate shock, a tight labour market and investment spurred by public policy. These economies are gearing down, each at their own speed – slowly but surely. And while they have...

China is undeniably in the midst of a slowdown. After twenty years of robust, uninterrupted growth, this slowdown was not unexpected, but has proved too fast and strong relative to the trajectory projected by both the Chinese authorities and the rest of the world. While no one doubted China's ability to become the world's leading economic power prior to Covid, this prospect is growing more remote and...