Essays & News

  In late 2025, the European Union agreed to accelerate the removal of the customs-duty exemption for imported parcels valued under 150 euros, a technical change that will take effect from mid-2026. Under the new regime, low-value parcels entering the EU from third countries will be subject to a fixed customs duty, ending a long-standing […]

  In early 2025, revelations emerged that Argentine President Javier Milei had promoted $LIBRA, a cryptocurrency that subsequently collapsed and left thousands of investors with significant losses. The evidence that came to light over the last few days points to a knowingly and voluntarily participation by the president and his closest staff. For many outside observers, the […]

  Global markets are witnessing a powerful resurgence in the prices of minerals and industrial metals, with several key materials recording triple-digit annual gains and others entering the early stages of a sustained upward trajectory. Prices for lithium, cobalt and rhodium have surged by over 100 percent, 60 percent and 97 percent, respectively, over the […]

  The European Council summit of March 19-20 was overshadowed by the Iranian crisis in the Strait of Hormuz and Hungary blocking a 90 billion-euro loan to Ukraine. But crucially, European leaders also chose to move forward with the Savings and Investment Union. The initiative provides high-level political backing for tapping into an estimated 10 […]

  Over the past year and until the current Iran war, the United States dollar has offered a mixed picture in two respects. Its exchange rate has weakened against the euro and the British pound (from 0.95 to 0.85 and from 0.79 to 0.74, respectively), but strengthened against the yen (from 150 to 155). At […]