News Discussions

What are the possible effects of tariffs on countries that create new digital taxes?

President Donald Trump threatened European countries on Friday, warning them not to implement a new digital services tax or risk a “100% tariff” on all their exports to the United States. The president had signaled during his tariff war last year that he viewed DSTs as one of the most unfair trade practices brought against American companies, […]

What implications does the shift of economists into political advocacy have for public trust in economic policy?

Kevin Hassett might do Trump’s bidding at the Federal Reserve, marking a new stage in the president’s control over the American economy

How might freezing rents in New York affect families and the housing market in our community?

A city board packed with Mamdani appointees voted in favor of the Mayor’s key campaign promise

What are the possible effects of rent increases and rent freezes on our community's housing options?

Mayor Zohran Mamdani has promised relief for rent-stabilized tenants. But thousands of apartments under a separate city program are subject to increases, creating an awkward contrast

What should Iraq do about its oil output limits within OPEC, and how could this affect the country and the world?

BAGHDAD, June 25 (Reuters) - Iraq will be compelled to consider all available options if its OPEC quota is not significantly increased, a senior Iraqi oil ministry official told Reuters on Thursday. Separate sources told Reuters Iraqi officials had considered leaving OPEC, but the current plan was to remain a member and seek a higher quota. The prospect of Iraq considering an exit from OPEC would be a further blow to the group after the departure of the United Arab Emirates this year. Iraq is one of five founding members and the group was formed in the Iraqi capital

What should be done to help Iran rebuild its economy while ensuring lasting peace in the region?

The US has temporarily allowed Iran to export oil and indicated it will provide billions to relieve the crisis triggered by the war. With ordinary Iranians at their limit, however, Tehran already fears new protests

What are the different ways Brexit has changed the economy, and how should we respond to these changes?

Data: Factset; Chart: Danielle Alberti/Axios Brexit is the real-world test of what happens when a major economy voluntarily raises trade barriers, restricts the free flow of workers and generates years of policy uncertainty — all at once. A decade since the vote to leave the European Union, the results are largely in. Why it matters: The economic drag came from overlapping effects. Businesses held off on investment as uncertainty dragged on, executives spent years consumed by Brexit logistics, and the firms most integrated with European markets were often the ones hit hardest. By the numbers: Since the Brexit referendum, the U.K. economy has grown about 13% — less than half the American pace over the same period, according to FactSet calculations. But even that growth gap might understate the cost of Brexit. A paper updated this month from economists at Stanford, the Bank of England, King's College London and the University of Nottingham estimates that by the end of 2025, Brexit had made the U.K. economy between 6% and 8% smaller than it would have been had the country voted to remain. The authors estimate business investment was between 12% and 13% lower than the counterfactual, a gap that widened gradually over the full decade.Both employment and productivity were as much as 4% lower than they otherwise would have been, the authors estimate. The intrigue: Economists who predicted Brexit's costs before the vote were roughly right in the first five years — but few understood how much the damage would keep piling up over a full decade, the authors note in the paper. The bottom line, via Axios' Zach Basu: Britain remains marooned in a low-growth cycle: saddled with trade friction, high prices, strained public services and a hyper-sensitive electorate that tolerates virtually no political failure. Go deeper: Britain's lost decade

How should communities respond to rising electricity prices during extreme weather events?

Great Britain has paid at least six times the normal price for imported power as millions turn on air conditioning and windfarm output sags

What are the potential benefits and challenges of introducing a digital euro in our economy?

How might including China in discussions about currency value impact economies around the world?

Any Group of Seven talks on currency valuations need to include China, according to European Central Bank President Christine Lagarde

How could the introduction of tokenized stocks and ETFs change the way people invest and trade?

The New York Stock Exchange is developing a tokenized securities platform that will allow for 24/7 settlement of trades

How do you think keeping interest rates the same will affect people and businesses in our community?

The Bank of England is likely to keep interest rates on hold at 3.75% on Thursday, economists say, as policymakers balance the risk of a prolonged energy price shock from the Iran war against a subdued domestic economic picture. Bloomberg Economics' Matthew Bunny has a preview of the decision. (Source: Bloomberg)