Article by EDITORIAL TEAM

Key Points: Japan recorded a 2.6% unemployment rate in fiscal 2025, showing the first increase in five years. Total employment reached an all-time high of 68.29 million people, supported by a record 31.28 million working women. The average job availability ratio fell to 1.20, meaning employers offered 120 jobs for every 100 people looking for work. Government officials say the job market remains strong because...

Key Points: Headline inflation increased by 1.1% in the March quarter and reached 4.6% over the past 12 months. Petrol prices jumped 32.8% in March alone, pushing transportation costs up 9.2% in just 30 days. Financial markets predict an 80% chance the Reserve Bank of Australia will raise interest rates by 25 basis points next week. Economists warn that the current data only reflect the...

Key Points: Brazil's antitrust regulator, CADE, launched an official investigation into the airlines LATAM and Gol for potential price collusion. The new administrative proceeding directly follows an initial probe that started back in 2023. Investigators used advanced data analysis to uncover suspicious ticket pricing patterns on major domestic flight routes. Both airlines will have the opportunity to present their defense before the regulator makes a...

Key Points: The European Parliament voted to demand a 10% increase, adding nearly 200 billion euros to the next long-term EU budget. Lawmakers want to introduce five new European taxes to raise 58.2 billion euros annually without asking member states for more cash. Parliament members strongly oppose using the regular budget to pay off the massive COVID-19 debt from 2020. Political leaders promise a fierce...

Key Points: FedEx and UPS plan to return all tariff refunds directly to their customers following a major Supreme Court ruling. The United States government launched a new refund portal last week to process refunds for illegally collected emergency levies. The Supreme Court struck down President Donald Trump's controversial tariff policy in February after it disrupted global trade. UPS collected roughly $5 billion in tariffs...

Key Points: The Conference Board reported its consumer confidence index rose to 92.8 in April. A temporary ceasefire in the conflict with Iran helped ease anxiety for American shoppers. The United States economy added a surprising 178,000 new jobs in March. The University of Michigan index showed contrasting record-low scores due to soaring fuel costs. American consumers feel surprisingly good about the economy this spring....