Global ETF News for the Past 2 Months
you are currently viewing::WTO-Trade imbalances and the limits of trade policyJuly 31, 2025--Trade imbalances have long been a concern for policymakers, prompting calls for corrective trade measures. Recent tariff actions- framed in part as efforts to reduce bilateral deficits -fit this established pattern. Notable precedents include the United States-Japan trade tensions of the 1980s and the global imbalance debates following the 2008 financial crisis. The connection is not merely anecdotal: empirical research shows that trade imbalances, particularly at the bilateral level, are strong predictors of trade action. Interpreting trade imbalances From an economic perspective, trade imbalances are not necessarily problematic. Sectoral imbalances arise from specialization: a country with a comparative advantage in services may run a surplus in services and a deficit in goods. Aggregate imbalances, in turn, reflect differences between national saving and investment. If a country invests more than it saves, the additional investment goods must come from abroad. From this perspective, trade imbalances are not signs of dysfunction, but channels through which economies realize the gains from trade, across sectors and over time. While trade imbalances can therefore reflect healthy economic forces, they are not immune to policy distortion. Tariffs can alter sectoral trade patterns, reducing the deficit in a targeted sector at the expense of other sectors. They can also distort bilateral flows, narrowing the deficit with a targeted partner while widening it with others. Industrial policy, now central to many policy debates, can have similar effects. Long-run broad-based industrial policy intervention can significantly influence the allocation of resources across sectors, often promoting tradable manufacturing over non-tradable services. Source: World Trade Organization (WTO) |
Stock-Bond Diversification Offers Less Protection From Market Selloffs
February 18, 2026--Diversification has become harder since 2020 as stocks and bonds tend to move in tandem during sharp selloffs, adding to financial stability concerns
Spreading investments across asset classes can reduce risk and smooth returns. The classic diversification between stocks and bonds worked historically because they moved in opposite directions.
Ranked: The Countries Buying (and Selling) the Most Gold Since 2020
February 11, 2026--China, Poland, and Türkiye were the largest gold buyers among central banks between 2020 and 2025.
Gold prices surged more than 230% over the period, fueling one of the strongest official-sector buying waves in decades.
A smaller group of countries reduced holdings, highlighting divergent reserve strategies.
Ranked: America's Top Trading Partners in 2025
January 25, 2026--The European Union accounted for 18.8% of all U.S. trade in the first 10 months of 2025, valued at $883.3 billion .
China ranks as America's fourth-largest trading partner, with U.S. imports declining 26.7%, given rising tensions.
U.S. bilateral trade reached $4.7 trillion between January and October 2025, in a volatile year for trade policy.
ETFGI reports Actively Managed ETFs Hit Record US$1.92Tr as 2025 Marks Highest Ever Inflows and 69th Consecutive Month of Growth
January 22, 2026--ETFGI reports Actively Managed ETFs Hit Record US$1.92Tr as 2025 Marks Highest‑Ever Inflows and 69th Consecutive Month of Growth.
ETFGI reports Actively Managed ETFs Hit Record US$1.92Tr as 2025 Marks Highest Ever Inflows and 69th Consecutive Month of Growth
January 22, 2026--ETFGI reports Actively Managed ETFs Hit Record US$1.92Tr as 2025 Marks Highest-Ever Inflows and 69th Consecutive Month of Growth. During December the actively managed ETFs industry globally gathered net inflows of US$56.23 billion, bringing 2025 net inflows to a record US$637.47 billion, according to ETFGI's December 2025 Active ETF industry landscape insights report, an annual paid-for research subscription service.
Global Economy Shakes Off Tariff Shock Amid Tech-Driven Boom
January 19, 2026-But risks are rising, including from the concentration of tech investment and the negative effects of trade disruptions, which may build over time
Global economic growth continues to show notable resilience despite significant US-led trade disruptions and heightened uncertainty.
WEF-Chief Economists' Outlook: January 2026
January 16, 2026--The January 2026 Chief Economists Outlook opens on a cautiously brighter note than last year. Drawing on consultations and survey responses from the World Economic Forum's Community of Chief Economists, the report examines near-term economic prospects alongside deeper structural shifts shaping growth, policy and investment.
Global Risks Report 2026: Geopolitical and Economic Risks Rise in New Age of Competition
January 14, 2026-Geoeconomic confrontation emerges as the top global risk for 2026, climbing eight positions in the two-year outlook, as economic risks rise fastest in the short term-with downturn and inflation both surging eight positions year-on-year.
AI anxiety soars while environmental risks declined in ranking in the short term.
Global outlook remains uncertain: half of experts expect a turbulent or stormy global outlook; only 1% anticipate calm.
Charted: Silver Supply-Demand Imbalance (2015-2025)
January 14, 2026--The global silver market has been in a persistent structural deficit since 2021, driven by industrial demand.
Silver prices have surged alongside widening deficits, hitting fresh highs as supply tightens.
Silver has staged another powerful rally at the beginning of 2026, pushing to fresh highs as market fundamentals tighten.
The global economy in five charts
January 13, 2026-The global economy demonstrated remarkable resilience in 2025 despite increased trade tensions and policy uncertainty. Activity was supported by a stockpiling of goods, strong risk appetite, and a surge in artificial intelligence (AI)-related investment. Global growth in 2025 capped a solid five-year recovery from the 2020 recession, but vulnerable emerging markets and developing economies (EMDEs) continue to lag behind, according to the Global Economic Prospects report.
