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Louis Vuitton reigns as the most valuable apparel brand, worth $32.2 billion. Today's #ChartOfTheDay shows the dominance of European fashion houses. Click on the chart to read José Antonio Miranda and Alba Roldan on how fashion has grown into a global business.Monday 24 March 2025
Over the past two years, the UK has spent £4.6 billion on military operations in Ukraine.Previously, operational spending had remained low since 2016, following a £6 billion peak in 2010, driven largely by the war in Afghanistan.Wednesday 19th March 2025
In 1971, the UK’s female employment rate lagged men’s by nearly 40 percentage points. Today, that gap stands at just 6.4%. Interestingly, major economic shocks often spurred this convergence, as recessions hit male-dominated industries hardest. Economists refer to this as a “man-cession” effect, though it also reflects longer-term sectoral shifts that favour service and knowledge-based work. Other factors include the “added worker” effect—where some women join the labour force when male earnings drop—and the possibility of “forced renewal,” where post-layoff hiring opens doors for more women. So, do recessions boost gender equality—or simply speed up changes already in motion?Saturday 8th March
Donald Trump has won the U.S. presidential election resoundingly, carrying five swing states, with additional gains in Nevada and Arizona unconfirmed but likely. Trump also became the first Republican nominee to win the popular vote since George W. Bush in 2004.In the coming weeks, the Economics Observatory team will provide analysis on the election results and their implications for the U.S. and world economy.For insights into how Trump’s election may influence the stock market, read Clive Walker’s analysis from earlier this year
Which NATO members are meeting defence targets?NATO’s 2% GDP & 20% equipment spending guidelines set the standard – Canada and Belgium are the only members failing to hit either target.Click on the chart to read Ron Smith on UK strategic defence reviews.Thursday 13 March 2025
US steel prices are climbing as Trump’s 25% tariff on all steel and aluminium imports takes effect today.Wednesday 12 March 2025
Daron Acemoglu, Simon Johnson and James Robinson have been awarded the 2024 Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences “for studies of how institutions are formed and affect prosperity.”Today’s #ChartOfTheDay recreates and extends a chart from their seminal 2005 paper, showing the divergent economic paths of North and South Korea. The laureates present the case of the two Koreas as a natural experiment between two halves organised in radically different ways - a system of Soviet socialism and a system of private property with government.In 1960, South Korea was one of the world’s poorest countries, with a GDP per capita comparable to that of Liberia or Guatemala. Today, it is a global economic powerhouse, with a per capita income more than 30 times greater than its northern neighbour.
Last year, UK productivity was 24% lower than if it had continued climbing at its pre-2008 trend. Before the crisis, productivity grew at about 2% per year. Since the crisis, it has grown at just 0.5% per year. Slow productivity growth is hurting families, costing the average UK household £11,500 per year.What can be done to address the challenges facing the UK? Join us today at the Festival of Economics to find out how we can boost Britain’s low productivity. Our expert panel will debate the causes of the UK’s productivity stagnation and consider potential policy solutions. Join us to explore the extent of the challenge and to discover how boosting investment, improving education and training, exploiting technological innovation, and changes in regulation could help address the UK’s productivity puzzle.
Which NATO members met the 2% defence spending target in 2024?Poland led the pack, spending 4.1% of GDP on defence, while Estonia and the US followed at 3.4% each.Click on the chart to read Ron Smith on the UK's strategic defence reviews.Wednesday 12th March 2025
A US-Canada trade war will disrupt North America's historically low-tariff environment, reshaping the global tariff landscape.Click on the map to read Meredith Crowley on the danger of rising protectionism.Monday 10th March 2025
In the last two decades, China has come to dominate the world’s steel supply. At the turn of the millennium, 16% of the world’s raw steel came from China. Today, it is a majority.European steel production has been squeezed hardest, making up just 7% today. In the UK, the industry is now on its last legs. With the forthcoming closure of the Port Talbot steelworks, the UK will become the only G7 country unable to make ‘virgin’ steel.Listen to Richard Davies, the director of the Economics Observatory, explore the decline of the industry in the new Radio 4 documentary Steel Dragons.
More than 200 countries and territories are taking part in the Paris Olympics. At the opening ceremony, some countries needed full double-decker boats for their athletes, while others waved their flags from small Murano boats.China (388 athletes) and the USA (594) have large athlete delegations, while France (572), Slovenia (74), New Zealand (212), and Australia (460) have some of the highest athlete-to-population ratios.Despite their large populations, Pakistan (7), Bangladesh (5), and Myanmar (2) have few athletes at the Olympics.Somalia, with over 18 million people, has just one athlete. The Netherlands, with a population almost the same size, has 276 athletes competing.To find out more about the 2024 games, read this Economics Observatory article about home advantage.
