JUST IN: 🇮🇱 IDF airstrikes on southern Lebanon

BREAKING: Egypt says revenues from the Suez Canal have plunged by 50% due to tensions in the Red Sea

BREAKING: Reuters reports that 'some senior US officials' have told the Secretary of State Antony Blinken that they do not find 'credible or reliable' the assurances that Israel is using US-supplied weapons in accordance with international law

🇯🇵 Japanese Yen per US Dollar

1st of January, 2021: 103

Now: 158.3

JUST IN: Israeli military says 26 rockets were fired from Lebanon, have left no damage.

BREAKING: Hezbollah says it has fired 50 rockets at northern Israel

BREAKING: Axios reports that Israel is open to discussing a 'sustainable calm' in Gaza as part of a hostage release deal

JUST IN: Israeli police detain 7 people for rioting in Tel Aviv protests

Weakest currencies against the US Dollar, past month.

🇿🇲 Zambia: -6%
🇯🇵 Japan: -4.6%
🇲🇽 Mexico: -3.8%
🇬🇭 Ghana: -3.3%
🇮🇱 Israel: -3.2%
🇸🇪 Sweden: -3.1%
🇺🇾 Uruguay: -3%
🇧🇷 Brazil: -2.6%
🇰🇪 Kenya: -2.5%
🇵🇭 Philippines: -2.5%
🇮🇩 Indonesia: -2.4%
🇱🇦 Laos: -2.4%
🇳🇴 Norway: -2.4%
🇻🇳…

UNITED STATES: The Wall Street Journal reports that rising asset prices are 'wedging an increasingly large gap between the wealth of older generations and their children and grandchildren', with the gains 'heavily concentrated in older Americans who are already homeowners'.

JUST IN: Israel's foreign minister says a hostage deal would lead to the 'suspension' of the Rafah operation

JUST IN: The Wall Street Journal reports that US intelligence agencies have 'determined that Putin likely didn’t order Navalny to be killed' back in February

Share of companies affected by staff shortages, 2023.

🇯🇵 Japan: 85%
🇩🇪 Germany: 82%
🇮🇳 India: 81%
🇬🇧 United Kingdom: 80%
🇺🇸 United States: 70%
🇨🇳 China: 69%
🇨🇴 Colombia: 66%
🇫🇮 Finland: 59%

(Manpower Talent Shortage Survey)

Interest rate

🇹🇷 Turkey: 50%
🇷🇺 Russia: 16%
🇺🇦 Ukraine: 13.5%
🇭🇺 Hungary: 7.75%
🇷🇴 Romania: 7%
🇵🇱 Poland: 5.75%
🇬🇧 UK: 5.25%
🇪🇺 Eurozone: 4.5%
🇳🇴 Norway: 4.5%
🇸🇪 Sweden: 4%
🇩🇰 Denmark: 3.6%
🇨🇭 Switzerland: 1.5%

GDP forecast, 2024.

🇸🇳 Senegal: 8.3%
🇨🇮 Côte d'Ivoire: 6.5%
🇹🇿 Tanzania: 5.5%
🇰🇪 Kenya: 5%
🇨🇩 DR Congo: 4.7%
🇩🇿 Algeria: 3.8%
🇳🇬 Nigeria: 3.3%
🇲🇦 Morocco: 3.1%
🇪🇬 Egypt: 3%
🇬🇭 Ghana: 2.8%
🇿🇦 South Africa: 0.9%

(IMF)

Gold reserves (tonnes)

🇺🇸 US: 8133
🇩🇪 Germany: 3353
🇮🇹 Italy: 2452
🇫🇷 France: 2437
🇷🇺 Russia: 2333
🇨🇳 China: 2265
🇨🇭 Switzerland: 1040
🇯🇵 Japan: 846
🇮🇳 India: 804
🇳🇱 Netherlands: 612
🇹🇷 Turkey: 540
🇹🇼 Taiwan: 424
🇵🇹 Portugal: 383
🇺🇿 Uzbekistan: 371
🇵🇱 Poland: 359
🇸🇦 Saudi: 323

Price increase over past year.

Cocoa: +242%
Orange Juice: +44%
Butter: +26%
Oat: +22%
Coffee: +19%
Palm Oil: +12%
Rice: +11%
Potatoes: +4%
Cheese: +4%
Wheat: +1%

GDP per capita (current prices)

1983

🇰🇷 South Korea: $2,200
🇮🇷 Iran: $3,560

2023

🇰🇷 South Korea: $33,150
🇮🇷 Iran: $4,230

GDP per capita projected growth, 2024-2028.

🇮🇩 Indonesia: +31%
🇹🇭 Thailand: +25%
🇲🇾 Malaysia: +24%
🇸🇬 Singapore: +17%

(Based on IMF data)

Household debt as share of GDP.

🇨🇭 Switzerland: 126%
🇦🇺 Australia: 110%
🇨🇦 Canada: 103%
🇰🇷 South Korea: 102%
🇳🇱 Netherlands: 88.8%
🇬🇧 UK: 80.6%
🇺🇸 US: 73.1%
🇫🇷 France: 63.9%
🇨🇳 China: 62.4%
🇩🇪 Germany: 52.8%
🇪🇸 Spain: 48%
🇮🇹 Italy: 39%
🇮🇳 India: 37.2%
🇿🇦 South Africa: 34.7%
🇧🇷…