Andrew Hammond

International Monetary Fund managing director Kristalina Georgieva speaking ahead of the IMF/World Bank's spring meetings, says "there will be no neat and clean return to the status quo".

IMF warns of stagflationary shock ahead

It estimates that even if the US-Iran ceasefire holds, countries may need around US$20 billion in bailout support

French President Emmanuel Macron with Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi. His recent trip to South Korea and Japan follows an Asean-focused visit in 2025.

Europe’s focus on Asia intensified by Iran war

Ultimately, an underlying key goal of the EU’s pivot is to build a competitive advantage

French President Emmanuel Macron (above) may be able to navigate a way through the disagreements, given his previous ability to befriend US President Donald Trump at key moments.

G7 gears up for growing role in Iran crisis

But potential divisions over various issues may pose the gravest test to allied unity in 50 years

From the Middle East to Greenland, US President Donald Trump’s persistent foreign policy brazenness has sapped the trust of longstanding allies.

Are Asia and Europe at ‘Trump tipping points’?

Developments in Greenland and Iran have fed into a wider reassessment of US power in key Asian and European nations

European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen (left) with Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese in Canberra on Mar 24.

Australia deal shows EU is ‘open for business’

Affecting sectors from agriculture to critical minerals, the trade agreement marks a big win for both sides

A garment factory in Ho Chi Minh City. Targets of the US probes include Vietnam, which had the largest trade surplus with the US in January.

US tariff turmoil: Will partners in Asia and Europe break away from their 2025 deals?

For economies already hit by the war in Iran, America’s new ‘unfair trade practices probes’ spell only more trouble

A JMEV electric vehicle assembly line in China's Jiangxi province. No countries are named as targets of IAA, but its rules are designed to address concerns about China's powerful position in clean-tech supply chains.

Asia anguishes over proposed EU Industrial Accelerator Act

As the EU signals a trade policy pivot, countries like China and Japan mull its effect on competition and business

Iran has been hitting the Gulf states from the start of hostilities and blocking the Strait of Hormuz, seeking to maximise international pressure on Israel and the US to stop the bombing.

Navigating Iran war complexity: Asia businesses lose big in worst-case scenario

Four different plausible futures could pan out, with the worst being a ‘regional firestorm’

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz is well aware of the dangers of a potential two-front trade war with both Beijing and the second Trump administration.

Will Germany find a new economic equilibrium with China?

The Asian country’s domestic slowdown amid a volatile global outlook offers a strategic opening for Berlin to rebalance relations with Beijing

The Strait of Hormuz – between Iran, the United Arab Emirates and Oman – is the key chokepoint for the global energy trade.

Middle East war sends economic tremors across the globe

As the US-Israel strikes on Iran escalate into a regional conflict, global markets grapple with energy vulnerabilities amid shipping disruption