The number of gigafactories in the pipeline has surpassed 300 as the global rush to develop lithium ion battery production capacity continues. There is now 6,387.6 gigawatt hours (GWh) of lithium ion battery capacity in the pipeline as assessed in Benchmark’s May 2022 Gigafactory Assessment, a 68% year-on-year increase. China continues to dominate gigafactory announcements, but North America and Europe have seen significant growth over the past two years thanks in part to aut

The drop in Shanghai's port productivity, which is driven by to the lack of people working due to Covid lockdowns, can be seen in the container wait time at the port, according to CNBC's new Supply Chain Heat Map. "In Shanghai, ocean terminals, warehouses, and trucking services are operating as normal but with lower efficiency due to staff shortages and lack of drivers," said Brian Bourke, chief growth officer of SEKO Logistics. CNBC's Supply Chain Heat Map is a new data tool

A survey from the Site Selectors Guild shows that FDI megaprojects are set to increase in popularity over the next five years. A Site Selectors Guild (SSG) survey released on 17 May indicates that numbers of foreign direct investment (FDI) megaprojects are expected to remain constant or increase over the next five years as the world continues its recovery from the Covid-19 pandemic. The SSG characterises FDI megaprojects as being an investment of more than $1bn in value, crea

- Capital earmarked for sustainable investment has been growing dramatically, even during COVID-19, reaching more than $35 trillion. - Yet, well over 95% of this pool remains in developed economies. The challenge is to get this capital to where it is most needed: productive investments in developing economies. - The launch of the World Investment for Development Alliance (WIDA) at the World Economic Forum’s Annual Meeting 2022 aims to meet this challenge. When investing is su

The global economy faced numerous challenges in 2021. While COVID-19 vaccinations became more widely available in some countries, variants led to further waves in the pandemic. While consumer demand began to recover, supply chain disruptions restricted supply. Despite these and other hurdles, the world economy expanded by 6.1% in 2021. In this Markets in a Minute from New York Life Investments, we explore GDP growth by country to see which countries had the best and worst gro

- Sustaining our current consumption levels would require the resources of 2.3 planets by 2050. - Shifting to a circular economy, where we reduce, reuse and recycle, can decouple the world's growth from consumption. - A push for circularity in construction and cities can create jobs and reduce waste and carbon emissions. Our global economy is growing, reaching an unprecedented $94 trillion in 2021 – with rising population, urbanization and living standards. Our challenge now

The U.S. government has announced that its new economic grouping for the Indo-Pacific will begin with 13 inaugural members, accounting for about 40% of the world's gross domestic product. US President Joe Biden on Monday announced the launch of a new Asia-Pacific trading network during a visit to Japan. The framework, which includes an initial 13 countries, including India and Japan, has been touted as a counterweight to China's aggressive expansion in the region. "The United

“Digital MNEs can provide a boost to competitiveness across all sectors, new opportunities for business and entrepreneurial activity and new avenues for market access and participation in global value chains,” said James Zhan, UNCTAD’s director of investment and enterprise development. Digital multinational enterprises are growing at breakneck speed and changing the nature of cross-border investment. The international production footprint of digital multinational enterprises

China is the world’s second largest economy after the U.S., and it is expected to eventually climb into the number one position in the coming decades. While China’s economy has had a much rockier start this year due to zero-tolerance COVID-19 lockdowns and supply chain issues, our visualization covers a full year of data for 2021⁠—a year in which most economies recovered after the initial chaos of the pandemic. In 2021, China’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) reached ¥114 trilli

As the pandemic-fueled liquidity begins to wane and the reality of inflation and higher interest rates sets in, many economies will face considerable challenges. Middle East and North Africa (MENA) countries are vying to attract global investors and increase Foreign Direct Investment (FDI). Yet, capital flows are reversing from emerging to developed markets—specifically in the United States, where interest rates are rising to levels not seen since 2018. The year 2018 is illus

With China controlling the supply chains for many critical minerals this has now become a matter of policy concern for major economies given the vulnerability of supply chains through protectionism and control of the mining and associated processes to drive industry 4.0 and advanced manufacturing industries associated with economic growth. The American green economy will rely on renewable sources of energy like wind and solar, along with the electrification of transportation.

By John W Miller, Chief Economic Analyst, Trade Data Monitor; The global economy avoided a meltdown 2020-2022 due to the Covid-19 pandemic because governments around the world, led by the U.S., printed trillions of dollars for their own citizens, oiling consumer demand and goosing merchandise trade around the world. That steroid is now wearing off, as consumers have spent most of the money they were given, and because their spending fueled inflation, making it harder to buy a

A new study by the APEC Policy Support Unit revealed that foreign direct investment provides an important pathway to global value chain participation, showing that participation develops as investments accumulate. “When member economies hold a central position in the foreign direct investment network, they have the tendency to also be hubs in the global value chain trade network,” said Dr Akhmad Bayhaqi, a senior analyst with the APEC Policy Support Unit. “And when economies

The world’s (almost) eight billion people live under a wide variety of political and cultural circumstances. In broad terms, those circumstances can be measured and presented on a sliding scale between “free” and “not free”—the subtext being that democracy lies on one end, and authoritarianism on the other. This year’s Democracy Index report by the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU), is one such attempt to apply a score to countries based on how closely they measure up to demo

Annually KW Group: Asia FDI, Trade, Economic Development & Market Access support over 100+ businesses & government entities with inbound and outbound Asia-Pacific foreign direct investment (FDI), trade, economic development, market access, research, policy & intelligence projects on a full-time & project basis. Established in 2010 we have extensive start-up / scale-up experience & networks with regional investors, governments, multipliers, and businesses. ​ By 2030 65% of the

- US-Asean summit in Washington to highlight rift on trade deals - Indo-Pacific framework seen lacking on details, ambition Southeast Asian nations are increasingly disappointed with the US over a lack of progress on trade issues, undermining President Joe Biden’s efforts to strengthen ties with the region’s leaders at a summit this week in Washington. The administration has repeatedly highlighted the importance of US leadership in Asia and building relationships to counter C

Supply chains are important levers for achieving sustainability goals and have gained increased corporate, governmental and civil society attention. This white paper charts regulatory developments in supply chain sustainability, from international guidelines and free trade agreements to national laws and financial disclosure requirements. It draws on interviews to highlight corporate trends and challenges in delivering sustainable supply chains, as well as offering perspectiv

Supplies of goods are coming up short in the pandemic, and prices have jumped. Some economists warn that the changes could linger. For the past three decades, companies and consumers benefited from cross-border connections that kept a steady supply of electronics, clothes, toys and other goods so abundant it helped prices stay low. But as the pandemic and the war in Ukraine continue to weigh on trade and business ties, that period of plenty appears to be undergoing a partial

Higher investment growth was observed in Belt and Road region; health care and life sciences sector in Europe and North America was popular China’s overall outward direct investment (ODI) reached US$145.2 billion in 2021, up 9.2% year-on-year (YOY), whilst non-financial ODI reached US$113.6 billion, up 3.2% YOY. Belt and Road (B&R) non-financial ODI increased 14.1% YOY, which continued to outperform the overall growth rate. The announced value of China overseas mergers and ac

Companies around the world invest billions in R&D to provide cutting-edge innovation to their products and services. In order to protect these investments, companies apply for patents. Therefore, the number of utility patents a company is granted can be considered a rough measure of its level of innovation. Every year, the Patent 300 List identifies America’s most innovative companies within the intellectual property space by analyzing the patents granted by the United States