Economics & Finance

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Alex Kozul-Wright

G20 oil alliance won’t turn the tide [delayed]

G20 oil alliance won’t turn the tide [delayed]

Last week, energy ministers from the G20 engaged in a rare display of international cooperation by agreeing to reduce oil supply in an ambitious attempt to raise prices. The deal comes amid a sharp contraction in global economic activity triggered by the coronavirus, which has halved oil prices since the

Emerging markets fear ‘Roaring Twenties’

Emerging markets fear ‘Roaring Twenties’

As Argentina’s debt restructuring talks enter their eleventh hour, there is a growing expectation that today’s deadline will be extended. The government and its creditors are inching towards a deal to reprofile roughly US$65 billion in sovereign debt that the country cannot afford to repay. President Fernandez’

Sudan's central bank makes u-turn on gold exports [delayed]

Sudan's central bank makes u-turn on gold exports [delayed]

In a bid to shore up the government’s limited fiscal resources, the Central Bank of Sudan recently awarded private gold merchants’ greater autonomy to sell to overseas markets. Until last month, Sudan’s Central Bank was the only formal channel for miners to export the precious metal. On January

China concedes ground to US over rare earth metals [delayed]

China concedes ground to US over rare earth metals [delayed]

As part of continued efforts to resolve its long-running trade conflict with the United States, China recently raised its production quota of rare earth metals to a record 132,000 tonnes. Additionally, customs data published in January showed that China’s exports of rare earth magnets to the US increased

DRC mining reform may come back to bite Big Tech [delayed]

DRC mining reform may come back to bite Big Tech [delayed]

Late last month, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) outlined a plan to assume monopoly control of the country’s artisanal cobalt sector. A newly created state-owned company, Enterprise Generale du Cobalt (EGC), will be given standalone rights to purchase the metal from the informal mining industry. Combined with sulphur,

Opec+ expected to deepen cuts in response to coronavirus [delayed]

Opec+ expected to deepen cuts in response to coronavirus [delayed]

Oil prices have nosedived since the outbreak of the coronavirus, with Brent crude down 25 per cent since the start of January. The outbreak of Covid-19 has almost certainly pitched China’s economy into contractionary territory, disrupting everything from manufacturing supply chains to property construction. The grim economic outlook was

There will be blood [delayed]

There will be blood [delayed]

The sharp contraction in global economic activity prompted by Covid-19 has sent oil prices into a tailspin. Brent crude, already on the backfoot since the outbreak of the coronavirus, suffered an additional leg-down this month when two of the world’s biggest producing nations – Russia and Saudi Arabia – set the