Tag: Economy

The Israel-Hamas war appears to be no closer to ending more than one year after it began. Israel has intensified its military actions since the Hamas’ attack on Oct. 7, 2023. Hamas confirmed on Friday that its leader, Yahya Sinwar, was killed by Israeli forces in Gaza.

When Prime Minister Fumio Kishida took office in October 2021, he promised to rebuild Japan’s economy through a strategy he dubbed, “New Capitalism.” Kishida would quickly change course on his economic plan, which included redistribution at its core in an effort to reduce social inequities. As he stepped down three years later, the changes he brought to the economy seem to pale in comparison to this outsized promise.

The Federal Reserve cut interest rates by half a point in September, the first cut since 2020. The Federal interest rate sits between 4.75% and 5%, hopefully mitigating the effects of high inflation and offering individuals and businesses a bit of relief. Despite this recent cut, the interest rate is nearly double the pre-pandemic rate.

NACM’s Credit Managers’ Index (CMI) fell 0.4 points to 53.1 in September, showing expansion but at a weakening pace. “Hopefully this is indicative of the soft landing the Fed has been aiming for,” said NACM Economist Amy Crews Cutts, Ph.D., CBE.

On Tuesday, about 45,000 port workers went on strike after their contract expired, following unsuccessful last-minute negotiations between the International Longshoremen’s Association and the U.S. Maritime Alliance, which represents port operators and container carriers. The daily economic cost could be anywhere from $540 million to upwards of $4 billion.

Hurricane Helene, a Category 4 storm that tore through the Southeast of the United States last week, has left more than 160 people dead and is estimated to cost the country as much as $34 billion, according to Moody’s Analytics.

Credit management is a dynamic profession, evolving to fit each unique business and industry. Given the vastness of the credit industry, it can be hard to stand out among your fellow credit managers. NACM’s Professional Certification Program allows credit professionals to hone their skills and obtain designations that distinguish them from their peers while aiding their career advancement.  

More than half of Argentina’s 46 million population is now living in poverty, new figures indicate. The poverty rate skyrocketed to 52.9% in the first half of 2024, surging from 40.1% one year earlier, according to the government’s INDEC statistics agency.

Steep losses for the stock market and a slump in FDI to the lowest level in decades has brought added urgency to efforts by officials in Beijing to shore up confidence that the CCP regime is prepared to take the steps required to stabilize an economy that has shown signs of wobbling amid mounting difficulties for the crucial property sector. However, neither the measures unveiled in mid-May nor the more recent proposal to permit local governments to fund home purchases through an existing “special bond” program previously reserved for financing infrastructure and environmental projects has …