Global demand for natural rubber is projected to exceed production for a sixth straight year in 2026, with accelerating growth in the automotive sector across emerging and advanced economies driving consumption, an industry body said.
Expectations for the Bank of Japan have shifted meaningfully in the wake of Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s election victory, with economists bringing forward forecasts for the next rate hike and increasing bets on potential currency intervention.
The International Monetary Fund has kept its economic growth forecast for China unchanged at 4.5% for 2026, according to its annual review of the Chinese economy for 2025 published on Wednesday.
The minutes of the Federal Reserve’s January monetary policy meeting on Wednesday showed that almost all participants supported the decision to hold interest rates steady.
The Trump administration said Wednesday it is rescinding a rule that incentivized automakers to produce electric vehicles to meet fuel economy requirements by overstating energy savings.
U.S. President Donald Trump said on Wednesday that the country’s trade deficit had contracted sharply due to his trade tariffs, and that the U.S. was set for a trade surplus in 2026– its first in decades.