Economy

BDL’s Gold Reserves Surge by 41.6% Year-on-Year
ReportBDL’s Gold Reserves Surge by 41.6% Year-on-Year

According to its latest balance sheet, Lebanon’s Central Bank (BDL) reported total assets of $93.86 billion as of the end of April 2025, reflecting a modest 0.33% year-on-year increase. This comes in the wake of BDL’s adoption of a new official exchange rate of 89,500 LBP/USD on February 1, 2024. A standout figure in the report is the sharp ...

Lebanon’s $30 Million Digital Ad Boom Bypasses Local Media
Figure of the weekLebanon’s $30 Million Digital Ad Boom Bypasses Local Media

Despite a near-total freeze in ad campaigns since September 2024, triggered by the escalating conflict between Israel and Hezbollah, digital advertising emerged as a clear winner in Lebanon. According to the Lebanese chapter of the International Advertising Association (IAA), ad spending on platforms like Meta, TikTok and Google reached $30 ...

The Vatican’s Finances: A (Nearly) Divine Mission for Leo XIV?
The Vatican’s Finances: A (Nearly) Divine Mission for Leo XIV?

Amid ongoing spiritual and social transformation, the Vatican is facing a more down-to-earth reality—its accounts are in the red. The Holy See’s financial management appears more akin to that of a debt-ridden state than a model of virtue. As head of the Catholic Church, the newly elected Pope Leo XIV inherits not only a spiritual mission but ...

U.S./China: Talks in Geneva to Deescalate Trade Tensions
U.S./China: Talks in Geneva to Deescalate Trade Tensions

The trade talks between senior U.S. and Chinese officials scheduled for this weekend in Geneva, Switzerland, are "a positive and constructive step toward de-escalation," said WTO Director-General Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala on Friday. "A sustained dialogue between the two largest economies in the world is essential to ease trade tensions, prevent ...

Lebanon Launches Water Sector Reforms with Support from International Partners
Lebanon Launches Water Sector Reforms with Support from International Partners

The Minister of Energy and Water, Joe Saddi, held a working meeting with key international donors and organizations to launch a strategic dialogue on the future of the country’s water sector. The minister announced that the national water sector strategy will be revised. “Valid elements will be retained, gaps will be addressed, and necessary ...

Moody’s Slashes Global Growth Forecasts for 2025–2026
Moody’s Slashes Global Growth Forecasts for 2025–2026

Credit rating agency Moody’s has sharply downgraded its global economic growth forecasts for 2025 and 2026, revising them to 1.9% and 2.3% respectively, down from the 2.5% predicted last February. This significant drop is mainly attributed to rising tariffs on key industrial goods such as steel and aluminum—a trend that is hindering ...

Where Things Stand in the US-China Trade War
ExplainerWhere Things Stand in the US-China Trade War

US and Chinese officials meet this weekend in Geneva for their first formal talks aimed at resolving a grueling tit-for-tat tariff war that threatens hundreds of billions in trade and roils global markets and supply chains. AFP looks at how the trade row between the world's two economic superpowers is playing out. What Steps Have the Two Sides ...

China Sales to US Slump Even as Exports Beat Forecasts
China Sales to US Slump Even as Exports Beat Forecasts

China said Friday sales to the United States slumped last month while its total exports topped forecasts, as Beijing fought a gruelling trade war with its superpower rival. Trade between the world's two largest economies has nearly skidded to a halt since US President Donald Trump imposed various rounds of levies on China that began as ...

Al-Zein: Over 8,000 hectares of Agricultural Land Destroyed in Southern Lebanon
Al-Zein: Over 8,000 hectares of Agricultural Land Destroyed in Southern Lebanon

Environment Minister Tamara al-Zein conducted a field tour of several southern border villages—Ramia, Aita al-Shaab, Yaroun, Maroun al-Ras, Bint Jbeil, and Ainata—on Thursday to assess the environmental impact of recent Israeli attacks. Al-Zein reported that over 8,000 hectares of agricultural and forest land had been destroyed due to the ...

Stocks Rise as US-UK Unveil Trade Deal
Stocks Rise as US-UK Unveil Trade Deal

Stock markets mostly rose Thursday as US President Donald Trump unveiled a trade deal with Britain, boosting hopes for other countries' tariff negotiations. After the turbulence sparked by Trump's "Liberation Day" tariffs on April 2, markets have settled in recent weeks on optimism that countries will reach agreements with Washington to avoid his ...

Starmer Says UK-US Trade Deal a 'Fantastic, Historic Day'
Starmer Says UK-US Trade Deal a 'Fantastic, Historic Day'

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said Thursday it was a “really fantastic, historic day," after he agreed a US-UK trade deal with President Donald Trump. The agreement lifts tariffs on UK steel and aluminum products and slashes levies on British car exports from 27.5 percent to 10 percent, Downing Street said. "This is a really fantastic, ...