Falling fertility rates pose major challenges for the global economy

Terry Vine | Getty Images Falling fertility rates are set to spark a transformational demographic shift over the next 25 years, with major implications for the global economy, according to a new study. By 2050, three-quarters of countries are forecast to fall below the population replacement birth rate of 2.1 babies per female, research published … Read more

BOJ ends the world’s only negative rates regime in a landmark move

An editorial montage of the Japan flag and Japanese yen cash bank notes Javier Ghersi | Moment | Getty Images Japan’s central bank raised interest rates on Tuesday for the first time since 2007, ending the world’s only negative rates regime and other unconventional policy easing measures enacted over the course of the last few … Read more

The ocean freight market is in standoff as peak contract season hits

March and April are critical months for ocean carriers looking to ink annual freight contracts with shippers, including the world’s biggest retailers, but this year contract season is turning into a waiting game. The $2,500 spread between spot market rates and long-term freight contract rates for Asia to U.S. West Coast containers has reached its … Read more

Bank of Japan made a landmark rate pivot. Here’s what happens next

Neon advertisements in Osaka’s Dotonbori district in Japan Alexander Spatari | Moment | Getty Images Japan’s central bank on Tuesday finally ended its experiment with negative rates and unconventional easing tools which were aimed at reflating the world’s fourth-largest economy. The Bank of Japan’s decision came just days after Rengo, Japan’s largest federation of trade … Read more

United Arab Emirates is using cloud seeding tech to make it rain

Rising global temperatures have added a strain on regions like the Middle East, which is extremely vulnerable to the impacts of climate change. These nations are now faced with a big problem, how can they solve their water shortage issues?  The United Arab Emirates averages less than 200 millimeters of rainfall a year, in stark … Read more

Denmark leads, with top four from Europe

Traders work on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) in New York. Bloomberg | Bloomberg | Getty Images Four of investors’ top five favorite destinations are in Europe, according to the Milken Institute’s Global Opportunity Index (GOI) report. Denmark topped this year’s rankings, scoring first on business perception, a measure of the … Read more

CEO of top ocean freight carrier says outlook has changed for economy

The Toronto Express container ship, operated by Hapag-Lloyd AG at the Port of Hamburg in Hamburg, Germany, on Wednesday, Dec. 20, 2023. Maria Feck | Bloomberg | Getty Images Rolf Habben Jansen, CEO of Hapag-Lloyd, the world’s fifth-largest ocean carrier, tells CNBC he has an improved view on trade for the rest of 2024. Conversations … Read more

McDonald’s suffers global tech outage forcing some restaurants to halt operations

A sign for the U.S. fast food restaurant chain McDonald’s is seen outside one of their restaurants in Sint-Pieters-Leeuw, near Brussels, Belgium March 4, 2024.  Yves Herman | Reuters McDonald’s suffered a system failure on Friday that left many customers in many parts of the world unable to order food. A spokesperson for the Australian … Read more

First ship carrying aid approaches Gaza Strip as Israel accused

The Open Arms vessel docked in the Cypriot port of Larnaca. – | Afp | Getty Images An aid ship was approaching the Gaza Strip’s coastline on Friday with much-needed deliveries for the Palestinian people, as relief organizations warn that thousands in the besieged enclave are on the brink of famine. The ship — called … Read more

Qatar Airways to launch First Class, as airline courts Airbus and Boeing for new planes

Qatar Airways is developing a First Class concept and pursuing aircraft orders from aviation giants Boeing and Airbus, as part of a broader strategic overhaul under new group CEO Badr Mohammed Al Meer. “This is a new era,” Al Meer told CNBC on Thursday, unveiling changes at the airline that follow a multi-month “war room” … Read more