The cost of electric vehicle batteries is set to soar amid the ongoing Russia–Ukraine conflict and supply chain disruptions, the International Energy Agency (IEA) warned on Monday. While electric vehicle sales have remained strong so far this year with 2 million electric cars sold worldwide in the first quarter, IEA said that further efforts to diversify battery…

Commentary Beijing’s ongoing “zero-COVID” campaign is slowing both the Chinese and global economies, causing supply chain disruptions felt around the world. The harsh pandemic measures are also damaging U.S. companies in China. “Conditions in China are such that we have virtually no ability to predict our performance in China in the back half of the…

Sales of new single-family houses dropped to the lowest level in four months in March 2022 amidst a rise in mortgage rates, according to the latest data from the U.S. Census Bureau and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. “Sales of new single‐family houses in March 2022 were at a seasonally adjusted annual…

With prices of commodities rising due to the COVID-19 pandemic and supply chain disruptions, inflation has hit grocery stores across the United States as brands increase product prices to prevent corporate profits from being squeezed. P&G, which sells skincare products, shampoo, diapers, and toothpaste, raised product prices by 5 percent to achieve 10 percent sales…

The auto industry’s ongoing supply chain disruption caused by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine is not likely to be a long-term problem according to investment managing firm Neuberger Berman. “Although Russia and Ukraine together only represent 2.1 percent of global light vehicle sales, the impact for some European original equipment manufacturers has been disproportionately larger than…

Although China denies it, its draconian Zero-COVID lockdown policy is pushing up the cost of Chinese manufacturing as well as global production costs and inflation. China’s three major indicators of its Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI) all fell below the critical mark in March. However, while both ends of production and demand were falling at the…

News Analysis Although China denies it, its draconian “zero-COVID” lockdown policy is pushing up the cost of Chinese manufacturing as well as global production costs and inflation, analysts say. China’s three major indicators of its Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI) all fell below the critical mark in March. However, while both ends of production and demand…

The minutes of the Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) meeting on March 15–16 shed light on the economic impact of the Ukraine war on the U.S. economy, specifically with regard to inflation and the Fed’s interest rate. Participants in the meeting “judged that the implications of the war for the U.S. economy were highly uncertain,…

U.S. gas prices, currently hovering at around $3.5 per gallon, could soon double to $7 as pressure mounts between Ukraine and Russia, according to a prediction by an energy expert. “My guess is that you are going to see $5 a gallon at any triple-digit [oil price] … as soon as you get to $100….

U.S. gas prices, currently hovering at around $3.5 per gallon, could soon double to $7 as pressure mounts between Ukraine and Russia, an energy expert predicts. “My guess is that you are going to see $5 a gallon at any triple-digit [oil price] … as soon as you get to $100. And you might get…