globalEDGE Blog - By Author: Seth Kunio

With climate change exacerbating inclement weather and environmental norms across the globe, experts predict an increase of as much as 7 degrees Fahrenheit in global temperatures by the end of the century. To help quell the rapidly rising temperatures, initiatives are pouring millions of dollars into new geoengineering projects worldwide.

Last September, the World Bank announced it would begin implementing new steps to lend an additional 100 billion over the next ten years. This, along with other new initiatives, would allow the World Bank to lend 150 billion more to developing countries.

In June 2016, Britain voted to end its 40-year membership in the European Union. On January 31, 2020, the controversial decision to leave the union went into effect. Since that decision, Britain has had conflicting economic results with higher inflation and lower GDP.

Last week, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, or SEC, authorized a new crypto product that could revolutionize the market. The SEC has approved 11 applications to offer exchange-traded funds, or EFTs, to the market. More than 4 billion dollars worth of ETFs were bought and sold during the first day of trading, showing the potential market in the future.

For the first time since 2014, a worrisome development has occurred in China. Firms have taken more money out than they have reinvested back into the country. For years both foreign and domestic companies funneled their profits back into China. Now those profits are leaving the country, due to changing interest rates, rising wages and increased risk.

The El Nino-La Nina cycle is a naturally occurring phenomena- resulting from interactions between the ocean surface and atmosphere over the tropical Pacific- that been going on for hundreds of years, with episodes happening roughly every 2 to 7 years. The El Nino and La Nina patterns are opposing climate cycles in the Pacific Ocean. However, with rising surface temperatures in the sea, the effects of El Nino are beginning to compound.

Two years after the collapse of China’s real-estate bubble, worries that it may collapse again are starting to rise. China’s largest private property developer, Country Garden, is struggling to pay back their enormous loans. Dealing with strict government regulations has made it even more difficult for companies to deal with their growing debt.

As the world pivots away from fossil fuels and towards a sustainable future, one intriguing option is geothermal energy. By using fracking techniques developed by the oil and gas companies, companies are able to harvest heat from the Earth to power generators connected to the power grid. Geothermal energy is a nearly unlimited power source; according to scientists at Fervo Energy, there is enough geothermal energy in the United States alone to power the country several times over.

The two leading generals of the third largest country in Africa have clashed over the country’s vast economic and political power. So, what is happening on the global economic stage in the face of this conflict? 

Oil prices continue to fall, hitting almost 15-month lows. One of the new factors impacting the global price of oil is the current banking turmoil further adding to the confusion of world prices. 

The current earthquakes seen in Turkey are a devastating event that will have ramifications in all sectors of life. In this blog we will be discussing the economic impact. The recent 7.8 earthquakes in Turkey will significantly impact the Turkish economy, which will ripple throughout the world economy. Turkey has the 19th largest economy in the world at nearly 1 trillion USD. Economic consequences of this disaster are seeming to be high inflation, a collapsing stock market, and a devastated agricultural sector.

With the Russian-Ukrainian war approaching a year, the market for oil and gas has been volatile. And new Western sanctions aimed at curbing Russia's economy are expected to impact prices again.

After some delay, Russia has decided to extend its grain deal with Ukraine for another 4 months, easing fears that Russia might abandon the deal. This deal will continue allowing Ukraine to ship grain through the Black Sea. Ukraine is already shipping millions of tons of grain through this deal. Ukraine is also a top supplier of wheat, barley, and supplies 46% of the world’s sunflower oil.

With society on the edge of its seat in anticipation of a continued recession, the U.S. is going against expectations and is appearing to turn around the economy. The U.S. economy grew by 2.6% in the third quarter of this year after declining by 6% in the first quarter and 1.6% in the second quarter, which by definition takes the economy out of a recession. This is introducing reduced fears of a future recession; however, it does not prove that the economy has fully recovered.

Porsche’s recent initial public offering (IPO), valued at around $72 billion, is one of the largest in European history. This IPO raised about $9 billion for Volkswagen which owns Porsche. The company offered 25% of Porsche’s preferred stock to investors, putting up about 12.5% of the entire company. This IPO is happening during a time that is seeing the market for IPOs drying up due to the volatility of the market.

The European Union has recently decided to expand its regulation into U.S. companies that interact with European countries. The most recent example is the blockage of the merging between American company Illumina Inc. and European company Grail Inc. Grail’s technology aims to help detect cancer early through blood testing, which Illumina was looking to accelerate as a leading competitor in genetic variation and function technologies. The blocking of this $7.1 billion acquisition demonstrates the emphasis the EU is putting on extending its power.