This week, all eyes were on the Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) meeting of the Federal Reserve, as financial markets and policymakers worldwide awaited the outcome of the committee’s deliberations. The FOMC concluded its deliberations on Wednesday with the release of a policy statement and a virtual press conference by Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell.

Based on its deliberations, the FOMC signaled its willingness to accelerate plans to wind down monetary policy stimulus announced in response to the…

As the COVID-19 pandemic enters its third year, emerging market economies will continue to struggle to improve their financial resilience in the face of numerous domestic and global headwinds. The emergence of new virus variants like Omicron serves as a stark reminder that the COVID-19 pandemic is far from over, and it could jeopardize the economic recovery prospects of both emerging and advanced economies.

First identified in Botswana and South Africa in November 2021, the highly-contagious Omicron variant is already…

After they forced the government to repeal the three controversial farm laws, and thus to ensure the continuation of the minimum price support mechanism, India’s farmers face yet another challenge, this time from World Trade Organization (WTO). On 14^th December, a WTO dispute settlement panel concluded in its report that India was violating its commitments under the Agreement on Agriculture (AoA) by granting price support to sugarcane producers and export subsidies to sugar during the period 2014/15 to 2018/19.

This…