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BlackRock's global fixed income chief investment officer emerges as a top contender for Fed chair to replace Powell. He is a senior managing director, who runs the firm's bond and credit investments, an area closely linked to interest rates and monetary policy

• Rick Rieder Discusses Fed Profitability, Monetary Policy Stability During Interview for Chair Role, Fox Business, Jan '26 [via AOL]

Prasad: Forget Trump's Tariffs. The Real Danger Lies in China's Trade Surplus, NY Times, Jan '26 [PDF, courtesy Cornell Univ]:

When an economy produces more than it consumes, something has to give. One possibility is that prices fall, which tends to encourage consumers to buy more. But when households anticipate continually dropping prices, they might
postpone consumption, The only option left is to send surplus goods abroad, writes Cornell U economist / Brookings senior fellow



Top US Trading Partners Pledged to Invest $5 Trillion in America. These Researchers Have Doubts, Associated Press, 27 Jan 26:

Trump has strong-armed many of America's biggest trading partners into pledging trillions of dollars of investment in the US. But a study out Tues (27 Jan) from the Peterson Inst for Intl Econ raises doubts about whether the money will actually materialize and questions how it would be spent if it did



Hausmann: Trump's Imperialism Without Alibis, Project Syndicate, Jan '26 [via Korea Times]:

If the US wants Venezuelans – and the world – to regard its intervention as temporary and legitimate, it must impose clear structural constraints: a credible, time-bound path to elections; transparent, independently audited management of oil revenues; and a firm commitment to human rights, writes Harvard economist / fmr Venezuela planning minister



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Ellingrud, Russell and Chettih: How Today's Developing Countries Can Drive Tomorrow's Global Economy, Project Syndicate, Oct '25 [via McKinsey]:

The McKinsey Global Inst has identified 18 high-growth, dynamic “arenas” poised to reshape the global economy over the next 15 years. To seize these opportunities, developing countries must create welcoming biz environments, attract foreign direct investment, and invest in human capital, write dir / senior fellow / fellow, McKinsey Global Inst

• Van de Graff: Inside the AI-Led Resource Race, Finance & Development, Dec '25

The Dollar Game – Q&A with Harvard's Kenneth Rogoff, Finance & Development, Dec '25:

The Harvard prof and fmr IMF chief economist's latest book, Our Dollar, Your Problem, examines the rise of the US dollar and what might cause it to fall. He discussed its conclusions with F&D's Bruce Edwards

Reverse Deng? For Policy Professionals Only, RAND, by Y Xie, 24 Nov 25:

Deng Xiaoping boldly invited foreign firms in to accelerate China's growth. That strategic brilliance is evident in the global success of Chinese firms, most notably in electric vehicles, batteries, and clean-energy equipment. Western govts are now considering adapting his playbook, writes senior assoc fellow, Mercator China Inst / RAND China Res Ctr

 

Posted on Mon, 24 Nov 2025:

UN Climate Deal Increases Money to Countries Hit by Climate Change, But No Explicit Fossil Fuel Plan, AP News, 23 Nov 25:

United Nations climate talks in Brazil reached a subdued agreement on 22 Nov that pledged more funding for countries to adapt to the wrath of extreme weather. But the catch-all agreement doesn't include explicit details to phase out fossil fuels or strengthen nations' inadequate emissions cutting plans



Besley and Velasco: A New Economic Playbook for Policymakers, Project Syndicate, 12 Nov 25 [via Business Times/ Singapore]:

The 'Washington Consensus' assumed that econ growth would automatically follow market liberalization. That belief has not aged well. The 'London Consensus' offers a fresh policy approach, write London Sch Econ economist / Chile fmr fin min & LSE Sch Public Policy dean



Meet the Company Trying to Break China's Grip on Rare Earth Elements, Yahoo Finance, 23 Nov 25:

Rare earth elements are in everything from jet planes to EVs. With China's stranglehold in the sector, Western governments and companies are playing catch-up

The 2025 Nobel Prize in Economics is awarded for: "having explained innovation-driven economic growth", 13 0ct 25:

Half of the prize goes to Joel Mokyr (Northwestern U) "for having identified the prerequisites for sustained growth through technological progress" and the other half jointly to Philippe Aghion (Collège de France, Paris; INSEAD; and London School of Economics and Political Science) and Peter Howitt (Brown U) "for the theory of sustained growth through creative destruction"

Supreme Court Lets Lisa Cook Stay at Federal Reserve for Now, Will Hear Arguments in Jan, Yahoo Finance, 1 Oct 25:

The decision is a setback for Pres Trump, who has been pushing for Cook's immediate firing and trying to put his own stamp on the nation's central bank. The court is letting her remain as a Fed governor before hearing arguments in Jan about whether Trump has the authority to remove her from her post

• Bipartisan Group of Top Officials Urges Court to Reject Trump's Effort to Fire Fed Governor, AP News, 26 Sep

• Former Officials Submit Amicus Brief in Fed Governor Ouster Appeal, VitalLaw.com, 26 Sep
   

Helene Rey: Stablecoins, Tokens, and Global Dominance, Finance & Development, Sep/Nov '25:

Technology is poised to shake up the international monetary and financial system. How that happens depends on whether technologies are shaped by the public sector or the private sector sets standards first, writes London Business Sch economist / European Economic Assn pres

• What Is Tokenization?, Finance & Development, by I Agur, Sep/Nov '25

The Fight Against US Anti-ESG (Environmental, Social & Governance) Policies, Reuters, by S Kimathi, 23 Aug 25:

We focus on financial organizations, attorneys general, and civil rights advocates that are mounting a defense against actions of US Pres Trump’s administration, which they say undermine environmental, social and governance principles


Rodrik: Mercantilism Isn't All Bad, but Trump's Version Is the Worst, Project Syndicate, May '25 [via The Edge / Malaysia]:

When economists celebrate the 250th anniv of the publication of Adam Smith's The Wealth of Nations next year, Pres Trump's mercantilism will constitute an incongruous backdrop. His brand of mercantilism embodies all its worst defects, with none of the benefits that nations have unlocked by getting their trade policies right, writes past pres, Int'l Economic Assn / Harvard economist



Competitiveness, Harvard's Michael Porter remarked in The Competitive Advantage of Nations, his 1990 best-selling book, means different things to different people. Today this commonly used term continues to defy definition and to divide opinion


Stanley Fischer (1944–2025), Finance & Development, by J Boughton, Jun '25:

Fischer, who passed away in May at the age of 81, had a storied career at the IMF, at central banks, and at universities that shaped the study of macroeconomics and the next generation of macroeconomists






Analysis: World Court Climate Opinion Turns Up the Legal Heat on Governments, Reuters, 29 July 25 [via Yahoo News]:

While the International Court of Justice does not specifically name the US, it said countries that were not part of the 2015 Paris climate treaty must still protect the climate as a matter of human rights law and customary int'l law. US climate litigation may cite ICJ opinion despite mounting climate skepticism

• World's Top Court Says Climate Inaction Can Breach International Law, Politico.eu, 23 July

Has Brazil Invented the Future of Money?, Paul Krugman's Blog, 22 July 25 [substack.com]:

Most people probably don't think of Brazil as a leader in financial innovation. In fact, in 2020 it introduced Pix, a digital payment system run by the central bank, that is now used by 93 percent of adults. It appears to be rapidly displacing both cash and cards, writes CUNY Grad Ctr economist / 2008 Nobel Laureate



EVs Are Everywhere in Oslo. Here's What Norway Has Done Differently, CNBC, 16 July 25:

The Nordic nation, known for its massive oil and gas reserves in the North Sea, has long been blazing a trail in the transition away from internal combustion engine cars. A steady stream of measures, from tax exemptions to reduced fees, has now put the nation on the cusp of completely erasing gas and diesel autos from its new car market

• Norway's Cities Favor Transit, Walking Despite Generous National EV Subsidies, Vox, Nov '23 [via The Energy Mix]

What are Rare Earth Minerals, and Why are They Central to Trump’s Trade War?, CNN, 4 June 25 [via MSN]:

The US trade war with China has a major sticking point: rare earths minerals. Here’s what you need to know about rare earths. What are they, and are they actually ‘rare?’ What are they used for? Where do they come from? And why do they matter in the trade war?

• China Maintains Global Critical Minerals Dominance: Report. Yahoo News, 21 May 25

• Global Critical Minerals Outlook 2025 – Media Release, International Energy Agency, 21 May 25

Trump Moves to Block US Entry for Foreign Students Planning to Study at Harvard University, AP, 5 June 25:

In an exec order signed Wed (4 June), Trump declared that it would jeopardize national security to allow Harvard to continue hosting foreign students on its campus. This is his latest attempt to choke the univ from an intl pipeline that accounts for a quarter of its student body

• Federal Judge Extends Order Blocking Trump Administration Ban on Foreign Students at Harvard, AP, 30 May 25

• Harvard Seeks End to US Funding Cuts, Says National Security, Public Health Research in Peril, Reuters, 3 June 25 [via MSN]

Eichengreen: Can the Dollar Remain King of Currencies?, Financial Times, 21 Mar 25 (via PressReader as: How Low Can the Dollar Go?):

It took dec­ades of patient institution-build­ing to make America’s currency global. What can the architects of ‘exorbitant privilege’ teach us now — and could this era be drawing to a close?, asks UCalif Berkeley economist / author of Exorbitant Privilege: The rise and fall of the dollar

• Nook & Cranny -- Eichengreen: The Dollar’s Future as an International Currency, Monetary Authority of Singapore, 2009 [PDF, 3pp]

Prasad: The Age of Tariffs, Foreign Affairs, 03 Apr 25 [PDF, courtesy Cornell U]:

The US has ceded its role as a bastion of free trade and is instead leading a resurgence of protectionism that will hurt consumers and businesses worldwide. These tariffs will define Trump’s legacy not as a savvy businessman but as a destructive hindrance to econ progress, writes Cornell U economist / Brookings senior fellow 

Obstfeld: The US Trade Deficit -- Myths and Realities, Broookings, 26 Mar 25 (summary):

Although tariffs will reduce imports, they also will reduce US exports as other countries retaliate. Also, tariffs imposed on imported inputs used by US manufacturers act as a tax on both US exports of the final products and US products that compete against imports, says Peterson Inst senior fellow / fmr IMF chief economist  


Krugman: Departing the New York Times, The Contrarian, 29 Jan 25:

Last month I retired as an opinion writer at the NY Times—a job I had done for 25 years. Despite the encomiums issued by the Times, it was not a happy departure. I felt that my byline was being used to create a storyline that was no longer mine. So I left to stay true to my byline, writes CUNY Grad Ctr economist / 2008 Nobel Laureate




Blanchard and Pisani-Ferry: Europe’s challenge and opportunity -- building coalitions of the willing, Bruegel, 13 Feb 25:

The EU should take the lead in convening alliances of countries to counter threats to the global order. We explore how this could work for 3 issues: climate action, trade and taxation of multinational corps, write fmr IMF chief economist ; and Sciences Po (Paris) economist



Political inertia will end when climate-change impact is 'too big to ignore' – Singapore climate envoy, Biz Times (Spore), 17 Mar 25:

Nature will set the timeline regardless of electoral or business cycles, Eventually, nature will call the shots, whether we are ready or not, when extreme weather and resource shortages disrupt livelihoods on a scale too big to ignore


Crypto -- The New Market for Lemons, RAND, by P Whitehead, Dec '24:

Ever buy a used car only to realize later that you've bought a lemon? That occurs because of information asymmetry between the seller—who knows the car is a lemon—and the buyer who doesn't, writes Pardee RAND policy analysis prof

'It’s a Circus': Trump Unleashes Chaos at Key US Science Agency, Bloomberg News, 09 Feb 24 [courtesy Decca Herald / India]:

The message went to some staff members at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, or NOAA, the scientific agency best known for providing daily weather forecasts through its National Weather Service. It capped a tumultuous 36-hour period during which the future of the organization’s international collaborations hung in limbo

JPMorgan Launches Climate Note by Ex-NOAA Science Chief, Bloomberg News, 13 Feb 24 [courtesy Financial Post / Can]:

"There is a demand for understanding how to strategically think about climate issues,” said Sarah Kapnick, now the bank’s top climate adviser, who has a PhD in atmospheric and oceanic sciences. To the chorus of thermometer-watchers, add a different kind of observer: the biggest US bank

Top Risks in 2025 for Governments and Businesses, Eurasia Group, 06 Jan 25:

We are heading back to the law of the jungle. A world where the strongest do what they can, while the weakest are condemned to suffer what they must. And the former--whether states, companies, or individuals--can't be trusted to act in the interest of those they have power over. Plus some "red herrings", and implications for Brazil, Canada, Europe and Japan

Explainer: Why Does Trump Want Greenland and Could He Get It?, Reuters, 08 Jan 25 [via Straits Times / Singapore]:

Trump first expressed interest in buying the mineral-rich and strategically important island from Denmark in 2019 but was rebuffed. "This is a deal that must happen," Trump said, as his son, Donald Jr paid a private visit to the mostly ice-covered island of 57,000 people

• Greenland’s Leader Says His People Don't Want To Be Americans as Trump Covets Territory, AP, 11 Jan 25

• Explainer: What Is the Panama Canal and Why Has Trump Threatened to Take It Over?, Reuters, 24 Dec 24 [via Straits Times / S’pore]

• Panama Canal Administrator Pushes Back Against Trump’s Assertions of Chinese Meddling, AP, 11 Jan 25

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