India Hikes Duty on Imported Gold, Seeking to Bring Down Trade Deficit

In its attempt to relieve the pressure against the rupee, the Indian government announced on July 1 that it had hiked the duty on imported gold by five percentage points to 12.5%. However, there are fears the import duty hike will spur a resurgence in the smuggling of the commodity. India’s Worsening Trade Deficit Faced … Read more

Argentina Runs to Stablecoins Amidst Political and Economic Uncertainty

Citizens of Argentina are hedging their savings by using stablecoins amidst the recent climate of uncertainty created by the resignation of certain key members of the government. The minister of economy in the country resigned last weekend, alongside other personalities, creating the turmoil that prompted the price of stablecoins in the country to rise by … Read more

Euro Drops to 20-Year Low Against the US Dollar, Tapping $1.028 per Unit — Analyst Says Parity Is Imminent

The euro has had a sluggish start to the second half of 2022 as the fiat currency slid to a 20-year low against the U.S. dollar. The drop adds to the fear that the global economy is in a recession and analysts believe that the risk of “parity is just a matter of time now.” … Read more

Vladimir Putin Says West’s Attempt to ‘Crush the Russian Economy’ Did Not Succeed

Last week the Russian ruble hit a seven-year high against the U.S. dollar and while analysts have downplayed the rise, one economist said people should not “ignore the exchange rate.” American economists have been perplexed about the ruble’s market performance and Russian officials have been quoted as saying that a strong ruble “makes Russian exports … Read more

Zimbabwe to Hike Benchmark Rate to 200%, Central Bank Minted Gold Coins to Act as Store of Value

After seeing the country’s inflation rise to 191.6% in June, Zimbabwean monetary authorities said they have resolved to increase the benchmark interest rate to 200% per annum. In addition, the central bank said it will introduce gold coins which will act as an instrument that will “enable investors to store value.” Discouraging Speculative Borrowing Monetary … Read more

Reports Claim Russia Defaulted on Foreign Debt for the First Time in a Century, Kremlin Disagrees and Says It Paid

According to reports, the Russian Federation has defaulted on its foreign debt for the first time since 1918. Bondholders told the press that they had not received payments from the transcontinental country. However, Russia’s finance ministry denies the allegations and says the country made the payments via the Euroclear monetary system. Russia Is Accused of … Read more

Lebanon Inflation Rate Surges to 211%, Economist Steve Hanke Recommends a Currency Board

As political leaders in crisis-hit Lebanon bicker over positions in the yet-to-be-formed government, the country’s runaway inflation rate surged to 211% in May 2022, new data has shown. Economist Steve Hanke insists that a currency board is a solution to Lebanon’s currency woes. Black Market in Fuel Driving Inflation The inflation rate in crisis-torn Lebanon … Read more

Goldman Sachs Sees Higher US Recession Risk Citing Concerns the Fed Will ‘Respond Forcefully’ to High Inflation

Goldman Sachs’ economists now see an increased risk of a U.S. recession. “We are increasingly concerned that the Fed will feel compelled to respond forcefully to high headline inflation and consumer inflation expectations if energy prices rise further, even if activity slows sharply,” they explained. Goldman Sachs on Increased Risk of Recession Goldman Sachs’ economists, … Read more

Russian Ruble Taps 7-Year High Against the US Dollar — Economist Says ‘Don’t Ignore the Exchange Rate’

Recent news reports have detailed that Russia’s fiat currency, the ruble, was the best-performing currency worldwide and the articles explained that American economists were perplexed by the trend. On Monday, the Russian ruble rose to 55.47 per dollar, which was the highest increase since 2015. While many have dismissed the ruble’s exchange rate, Charles Lichfield, … Read more