Global ETF News for the Past 2 Months
you are currently viewing::WTO-Trade imbalances and the limits of trade policyJuly 31, 2025--Trade imbalances have long been a concern for policymakers, prompting calls for corrective trade measures. Recent tariff actions- framed in part as efforts to reduce bilateral deficits -fit this established pattern. Notable precedents include the United States-Japan trade tensions of the 1980s and the global imbalance debates following the 2008 financial crisis. The connection is not merely anecdotal: empirical research shows that trade imbalances, particularly at the bilateral level, are strong predictors of trade action. Interpreting trade imbalances From an economic perspective, trade imbalances are not necessarily problematic. Sectoral imbalances arise from specialization: a country with a comparative advantage in services may run a surplus in services and a deficit in goods. Aggregate imbalances, in turn, reflect differences between national saving and investment. If a country invests more than it saves, the additional investment goods must come from abroad. From this perspective, trade imbalances are not signs of dysfunction, but channels through which economies realize the gains from trade, across sectors and over time. While trade imbalances can therefore reflect healthy economic forces, they are not immune to policy distortion. Tariffs can alter sectoral trade patterns, reducing the deficit in a targeted sector at the expense of other sectors. They can also distort bilateral flows, narrowing the deficit with a targeted partner while widening it with others. Industrial policy, now central to many policy debates, can have similar effects. Long-run broad-based industrial policy intervention can significantly influence the allocation of resources across sectors, often promoting tradable manufacturing over non-tradable services. Source: World Trade Organization (WTO) |
Financial Stability Risks Mount as Artificial Intelligence Fuels Cyberattacks
May 7, 2026-Resilience, supervision, and international coordination are essential to safeguarding global financial markets as new AI tools enable attackers
Artificial intelligence is transforming how the financial system copes with vulnerabilities and reacts to incidents.
Where the World's $13T in Sovereign Wealth Is Held
May 4, 2026-Key Takeaways
Asia and the Middle East control the majority of the world's $13 trillion in sovereign wealth.
Norway alone holds over $2.1 trillion, the largest sovereign wealth fund globally.
Global Disruptions Are Testing How the World Moves Goods and People
April 29, 2026-Shipping and flight disruptions highlight new fault lines in the global economy and their costs for growth and livelihoods
The war in the Middle East has severely disrupted maritime and air traffic, damaging infrastructure and interrupting transport corridors that are critical for global energy and goods.
ETFGI reports Active ETF Q1 net inflows were $US245.21 Billion which is up 70% from the prior record set in 2025
April 27, 2026-ETFGI, reported today Active ETF Q1 net inflows were $US245.21 Billion which is up 70% from the prior record set in 2025 that assets of US$2.12 trillion invested in the actively managed ETFs industry globally at the end of March.
ETFGI reports Global ETFs Industry Sets Q1 Record as Q1 net Inflows Surge 35% Past 2025 High
April 15, 2026-ETFGI reports Global ETFs Industry Sets Q1 Record as YTD net Inflows Surge 35% Past 2025 High. During March, the global ETFs industry gathered net inflows of US$174.42 billion, bringing year-to-date net inflows to a record US$626.42 billion, according to ETFGI's March 2026 Global ETFs industry landscape insights report, the monthly report which is part of an annual paid-for research subscription service.
Decentralized Finance (DeFi) Market: $770.56 Bn by 2031 with Tokenized RWA Platforms Forecast to Expand at 39.72% CAGR, Reports Mordor Intelligence
April 14, 2026- According to Mordor Intelligence, the decentralized finance market size is valued at USD 238.54 billion in 2026 and is expected to reach USD 770.56 billion by 2031, growing at a 26.43% CAGR. Growth is increasingly being shaped by regulatory-aligned entry points such as spot Bitcoin ETFs and frameworks like the European Union's MiCA, which are encouraging institutional participation through compliant digital asset channels.
Global Economy in the Shadow of War
April 14, 2026-The global economy faces renewed tests as the war in the Middle East threatens to disrupt growth and disinflation.
After withstanding higher trade barriers and elevated uncertainty last year, global activity now faces a major test from the outbreak of war in the Middle East. Assuming that the conflict remains limited in duration and scope, global growth is projected to slow to 3.1 percent in 2026 and 3.2 percent in 2027.
Charted: The Global Stock Selloff as Oil Fears Rise
March 30, 2026-Major global stock indexes have fallen between 5% and 10% over the past month as war rattles the Middle East.
Energy market disruptions-especially around the Strait of Hormuz-have become a central driver of volatility.
How the War in the Middle East Is Affecting Energy, Trade, and Finance
March 30, 2026-Energy prices, supply chains, and financial markets are the main transmission channels, but the regional effects will vary significantly
The world faces yet another shock. The war in the Middle East is upending lives and livelihoods in the region and beyond. It is also dimming the outlook for many economies that had only just shown signs of a sustained recovery from previous crises.
Prospects Group Global Monthly-March 2026
March 30, 2026- Overview
Before the onset of the conflict in the Middle East,global growth had surprised to the upside in early 2026,accompanied by a rise in goods trade at the turn of the year.
High-frequency indicators in February pointed to strengthening global activity,alongside improving prospects for both the manufacturing and services sectors.
