Your morning coffee briefing from TFG. Global inflation troughed last summer, and has risen markedly since. Britain, Ireland agree to work together to smooth post-Brexit trade and the US Colonial pipeline resumes operations following ransomware attack.

Your morning coffee briefing from TFG. Global trade expected to grow 7-9% in 2021. The global shortage of computer chips is hitting SMEs and manufacturers hard

Your Monday morning coffee briefing from TFG. UK and Indonesia strengthen trade ties launching the Joint Economic and Trade Committee. Global trade could grow 8% as COVID fightback begins and WTO details impact of regulatory barriers, other factors on costs to trade

Your Monday morning coffee briefing from TFG.
FCI reports a drop in global factoring statistics in 2020, linked to a drop in trade volumes due to the pandemic.

Your Monday morning coffee briefing from TFG. The world is emerging from a deep recession, and the recovery is coming faster than expected. With more than 800m vaccines administered globally, activity holding up despite lockdowns and additional fiscal stimulus coming. The IMF expects the global economy to stage a strong recovery, growing by 6.0% this year, with growth of 4.4% in 2022.

Your Monday morning coffee briefing from TFG. The IMF upgraded its growth forecasts for developed countries and said the global recession would have been three times as deep had governments not intervened.

Your Monday morning coffee briefing from TFG. The WTO is forecasting growth in global merchandise trade of 8.0% this year following a contraction of 5.3% in 2020.

Your Monday morning coffee briefing from TFG. A container ship ran aground, blocking the Suez Canal which carries about 12% of global maritime trade. The blockage may take some time to clear, further disrupting global shipping, already beset by high freight costs and delays caused by the pandemic.

Your Monday morning coffee briefing from TFG. In the UK, over 40% of the population have received at least one vaccine dose. This compares to the US (24%), Italy (9%), Spain (9%) and France (9%). The UK government borrowed £19.1bn last month, the highest February borrowing since records began in 1993. Debt rose to £2.13tn, and consumer confidence rose to its highest level since last March.

Your Monday morning coffee briefing from TFG. The OECD upgraded its forecasts for global growth this year, mainly due to the sizeable $1.9t stimulus in the US. UK exports to the EU fell by a record 40.7% in January following the end of the post-Brexit transition period.