The budget primary balance was confirmed at a surplus of 10.25 billion euros up to October, compared to a surplus of 13.53 billion euros in the same period a year earlier, according to the final Finance Ministry (MoF) budget execution data released on Tuesday.
Trade turmoil in April 2025 saw a marked change in cross-asset behaviour compared with typical patterns. Notably, the US dollar depreciated strongly while US Treasury yields rose – the opposite of what usually happens in a risk-off environment. This prompted discussions as to whether the safe-haven properties of US dollar-denominated assets might be changing. This is particularly important for euro area financial stability since euro area investors hold US dollar-denominated securities in an amount equivalent to €6 trillion, which represents a significant share of their portfolios.
Some experts see a dangerous combination of factors reminiscent of practices that led to previous financial crises.
Jin-Wook Chang, Jacob Dice, Shengwu Du, Adam Flury, Sam Jerow, Seung Jung Lee, Stacey Schreft, and Craig VandreThis paper examines cyber vulnerabilities across the 100 largest US banks, non-bank financial institutions (NBFIs), and their third-party service providers.
Food assistance does more good when it doesn't make people feel bad for needing help. SolStock/E+ via Getty ImagesThe 2025 government shutdown drew widespread attention to how many Americans struggle to get enough food.
In a wave of new ads, brands like Heineken, Polaroid and Cadbury have started hating on artificial intelligence (AI), celebrating their work as “human-made”.
But in these advertising campaigns on TV, billboards on New York streets and on social media, the companies are signalling something larger.
Even Apple’s new series release, Pluribus, includes the phrase “Made by Humans” in the closing credits.
The Trump administration is spending billions of dollars on deals with ownership stakes in companies. The unusual practice shows no sign of slowing.
Andres Almazan, Nathan Swem, Sheridan Titman, Gregory WeitznerWe analyze firms’ IPO decisions using detailed financial data on US private firms. We find that firms with higher external capital needs are more likely to go public. Following the IPO, firms increase their investment and debt issuance, resulting in leverage ratios close to their pre-IPO levels. Finally, newly public firms borrow from an expanded pool of lenders at improved terms, with a decrease in the within-firm dispersion in banks’ private risk assessments.
In this episode of Economics and Beyond, Rob Johnson and John Fullerton discuss his new book, Regenerative Economics which explores flaws in traditional economic thinking, and the need for a new framework that views the economy as a living system.
Somchai_Stock/ShutterstockDespite decades of progress, the gender pay gap remains a persistent feature of the UK labour market. According to women’s rights charity the Fawcett Society, November 22 marked Equal Pay Day 2025 – the day when women effectively stop getting paid due to the wage gap with men.
