Economy & Finance

Economy, finance, markets, luxury and geopolitics — macro signals that influence the art market and collecting.

Most recent stories

Capture One Hikes All Product Prices 6% Starting June 2 economy-finance
Capture One announced a 6% price increase across its entire product line, including Pro, All-in-One, and Studio tiers, for both monthly and annual subscriptions as well as…
Opera Australia Posts Dramatic Financial Turnaround in 2025 economy-finance
Opera Australia's 2025 Annual Report indicates a significant financial turnaround, with the operating deficit before contributions to the capital fund decreasing from $10.6…
China's drug regulator fast-tracks home-grown innovative medicines economy-finance
On Wednesday, state media announced that China's drug regulatory authority has approved a series of innovative medications developed domestically, streamlining their market entry…
BlackRock Bitcoin ETF Sees $1B Weekly Outflows Amid Market Pullback economy-finance
BlackRock's iShares Bitcoin Trust (IBIT) recorded approximately $1.01 billion in outflows between May 18–22, 2026, the largest weekly redemption wave of the year. On-chain data…
German government ignores housing costs in relief debate economy-finance
The German government's relief measures, such as the tank discount (Tankrabatt), fail to address the largest financial burden for millions: housing costs. Over a third of tenant…
Hong Kong Finalizes Crypto Rules to Cement Global Hub Status economy-finance
Hong Kong has officially established new regulations for digital assets, concluding a public consultation aimed at a licensing framework for companies dealing with virtual assets.…
European firms' confidence in China rebounds for first time since 2022 economy-finance
For the first time since 2022, European businesses are beginning to regain confidence in the Chinese market, as a recent survey indicates that Beijing is viewed as a stabilizing…
Chinese Retail Apps Transform European Shopping Experience economy-finance
Chinese shopping apps are revolutionizing European retail by offering services like same-day grocery delivery and in-house delivery fleets, moving beyond the traditional model of…
Furet du Nord and Decitre bookstores enter receivership economy-finance
The Nosoli group, owner of the Furet du Nord and Decitre bookstore chains, filed for receivership on May 26, 2026. The procedure is expected to open on June 1. The group employs…
Bitcoin ETFs Bleed $1.26B as HYPE and XRP Funds Surge economy-finance
During the week of May 18–22, spot bitcoin ETFs saw net outflows of $1.26 billion, one of the weakest weekly performances of 2026. BlackRock's IBIT led with $1.01 billion in…
Five lobbyists behind Germany's €500 billion rearmament plan 'Sparta 2.0' economy-finance
Economist Moritz Schularick, president of the Kiel Institute for the World Economy since 2023, is a key driver behind Germany's massive rearmament push. Along with four…
UBS: Chinese firms' overseas revenue to hit record by 2030 economy-finance
UBS forecasts that mainland-listed non-financial Chinese companies will derive 25% of their revenue from offshore markets by 2030, up from 18.7% in 2024, marking the highest level…
US-China summit sidesteps tech and critical minerals chokeholds economy-finance
A US-China summit in Beijing addressed geopolitical framing and trade mechanics but left the strategic middle layer—technology and critical supply chains—largely implicit. The…
Unitree Robotics profit plunges 53% ahead of crucial IPO hearing economy-finance
Unitree Robotics, a Chinese humanoid robot maker, reported a 53% drop in adjusted first-quarter profit to 40.3 million yuan, despite a 68% revenue surge to 422.8 million yuan. The…
AfDB Annual Meeting Opens Amid Aid Cuts and Ebola Threat economy-finance
On Monday, the African Development Bank (AfDB) commenced its annual meeting in the Republic of Congo, focusing on the decline in international development assistance and an Ebola…
US-Iran talks could ease oil sanctions, benefiting China economy-finance
A significant diplomatic shift appears to be unfolding between Iran and the United States, potentially leading to a relaxation of sanctions against Tehran. Experts suggest this…
US and China must learn from past to make trade board effective economy-finance
For the US-China trade board to operate successfully, it is crucial for both parties to learn from earlier mistakes, establish a precise mandate, and designate officials with the…
AI Enables Solo Entrepreneurship Boom in China economy-finance
A new wave of one-person companies is emerging in China, powered by artificial intelligence tools that allow individuals to handle tasks previously requiring entire teams. These…
Oil prices plunge 5% as US-Iran deal nears economy-finance
Brent crude oil prices dropped more than 5% to $97.64 a barrel following US President Donald Trump's announcement of advancements in negotiations aimed at resolving the conflict…
Chinese traders in Iran pivot to rail as naval shipping disrupted by war economy-finance
The ongoing conflict in the Middle East has significantly impacted shipping traffic in the Strait of Hormuz, leading Chinese traders in Iran to explore alternative land and rail…
U.S. Bitcoin Reserve Bill Proposes 20-Year Lockup economy-finance
The American Reserve Modernization Act of 2026 (ARMA), introduced by Rep. Nick Begich and co-lead Rep. Jared Golden, proposes a federally managed Strategic Bitcoin Reserve with a…
27 Nations Seek World Bank Aid Amid Iran War Fallout economy-finance
Twenty-seven countries have requested access to World Bank funds following the outbreak of war with Iran, according to a World Bank document. An analyst noted that nations prefer…
JPMorgan Sees Hong Kong IPO Market Resilient Despite SpaceX Mega Listing economy-finance
Paul Uren, head of investment banking for Asia-Pacific at JPMorgan, expressed that Elon Musk's anticipated $75 billion IPO for SpaceX on Nasdaq is not expected to impact liquidity…
Putin's China Visit Fails to Secure Power of Siberia 2 Pipeline Deal economy-finance
Russian President Vladimir Putin's 25th state visit to Beijing this week did not result in a final agreement for the long-delayed Power of Siberia 2 natural gas pipeline. Despite…
Kevin Warsh sworn in as Fed chair amid AI and inflation challenges economy-finance
On Friday, Kevin Warsh was officially inaugurated as the chair of the Federal Reserve at the White House, assuming leadership of the U.S. central bank amid economic instability…
Canada Mandates 15% Streaming Revenue for Local Content economy-finance
The Canadian Radio-Television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) has announced that major streaming services in Canada must now allocate 15% of their Canadian revenues for…
France pledges €1.5 billion to quantum computing and microchips economy-finance
At a recent forum in southern Paris focusing on computing power, quantum technologies, and semiconductors, President Emmanuel Macron revealed a €1.5 billion investment in quantum…
China blocks Meta's Manus deal but reaffirms openness to foreign tech investment economy-finance
China's top economic planner, the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC), has denied pressuring domestic tech companies to reject foreign investment, despite blocking…
China penalizes Tiger Brokers, Futu, Long Bridge for illegal cross-border trading economy-finance
The China Securities Regulatory Commission (CSRC) has taken action against Tiger Brokers, Futu Securities International, and Long Bridge Securities for unlawfully providing…
China's AI startup funding triples to $16.2B in Q1 2025 economy-finance
In the first quarter of 2025, investment in AI startups in China experienced a remarkable increase, nearly tripling compared to the previous year, totaling over 110 billion yuan…
India-China rapprochement driven by US trade war economy-finance
The US trade war under Donald Trump is pushing India and China toward cautious rapprochement. While a breakthrough remains elusive, deeper engagement between the two Asian giants…
SMIC Clears Final Hurdle for $6 Billion SMNC Takeover economy-finance
Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corporation (SMIC) has successfully navigated the last regulatory requirement to purchase the remaining 49% interest in SMNC for 40.6…
Chinese firms hoard cash as growth options narrow economy-finance
Cash holdings among traditional companies listed in Hong Kong and Shanghai have risen as productive investment opportunities dwindle, according to Bloomberg data. Per-share cash…
FIFA's Soaring Fees Put World Cup Broadcast in Doubt for Chinese TV economy-finance
FIFA's escalating broadcasting fees have led Chinese viewers to question the World Cup's cultural and commercial value. The tournament, once a guaranteed fixture on Chinese…
AI stock bubble at risk from Iran war inflation and liquidity drain economy-finance
An opinion piece in the South China Morning Post suggests that the AI stock bubble is on the verge of bursting, as increasing prices are draining liquidity from financial markets,…
US labels Cuba a China-linked security threat while keeping diplomatic door open economy-finance
Cuba has been labeled a national security threat by the United States due to its connections with China and Russia, although the US maintains that diplomatic avenues are still…
Canal+’s stranglehold on French cinema economy-finance
Canal+, the pay-TV group controlled by Vincent Bolloré, exerts an outsized influence over every major stage of French film production, from development to broadcast. The channel…
S&P Global Downgrades Paramount Skydance Credit Rating Ahead of Warner Bros. Merger economy-finance
Following its merger with Warner Bros. Discovery, which is valued at nearly $111 billion and anticipated to finalize in September 2026, subject to regulatory approvals, S&P Global…
K33 Research: Bitcoin's $60K February Low Was Bear Market's Maximum Drawdown economy-finance
K33 Research, a Norwegian crypto analytics company, has announced that Bitcoin's decline to $60,000 in February represents the largest drawdown of the ongoing bear market cycle.…
US film production overseas flight slows but global greenlights drop economy-finance
Information from the initial quarter of 2026 reveals that the United States is reducing the outflow of film and television projects to foreign locations. This development…

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