On 3 December 2024, South Korea was thrown into political crisis. Struggling in parliament, where he had lost his majority, President Yoon declared martial law in a move he claimed was justified by North Korean and Chinese interference. 

The immediate mass mobilisation of opposition members of parliament and civil society put a stop to this attempted power grab and paved the way for proceedings that...

India is shrouded in fog: the fog of pollution, which is making New Delhi increasingly unliveable; the fog of terrorism, with tensions with Pakistan triggering a number of attacks; and the fog of trade talks with the United States, which seem to have been at a standstill for weeks.

Chinese growth is slowing down and consensus remains sceptical about the government's official targets (5% in 2025). Far from the promises of rebalancing, the economy is increasingly shifting towards an export-driven industrial model rather than domestic consumption. Deflation, a consequence of structural imbalances (demographics, overcapacity, real estate crisis), is weakening corporate profitability...

China has released fourth-quarter and full-year 2024 growth figures and announced that its 5% target has been met. The consensus of economists, who were not expecting such a performance, found these numbers – even thought they were positive – "surprising".

While China achieving its growth target is nothing new, the slowdown in a number of sectors (e.g. real estate and consumer goods) and the deflationary...

Real estate crisis, demographic problems, trade tensions with the United States, concerning debt levels: multiple comparisons can be drawn between China today and 1980s Japan, sparking fears of a "Japanification" scenario for the Chinese economy. Such a scenario is characterised by a slowdown in economic activity caused by a drop in private consumption, the advent of a negative, deflation-fuelling price...

Find out about ECO Tour 2024, the annual report that tells you everything you need to know about the French economy, sector by sector. Read insights from our expert economists and consulting engineers covering commodities, semiconductors, employment, renewable energy, aerospace, automotive, construction, etc.

Last week brought two important statistics from China: 2023 growth, which came in at 5.2%, just above the official 5% target; and, above all, the latest population numbers. China’s population declined by 2 million in 2023.