The United States has a long track record of outlasting its rivals. The Soviet Union collapsed.
Japan, once predicted in the 1980s to eclipse the American economy, is now significantly smaller. China now appears to be on a similar trajectory. In 2021, China’s GDP had risen to 76% of that of the United States, and many analysts believed it would surpass the U.S. before 2030. That expectation has since unraveled. By 2024, the U.S. economy stood at $29.2 trillion compared to China’s $18.9 trillion—a gap that has widened for three consecutive years. Meanwhile, China’s working-age population is declining, its fertility rate has dropped to around 1.0—well below replacement level—and there is little immigration to offset the demographic decline. Yet America benefits from believing it faces a formidable rival. The belief is what keeps it competing. Source: Martin Varsavsky
The US blockade of the blockade seems to work rather well for the US.
It's substantially reduced Iran's oil exports (and inflow of hard currency), seized an Iranian ship and threatened secondary sanctions on Chinese banks that deal in Iranian oil. Meanwhile, oil prices are down from their highs. And the US is exporting record volume of il & gas. Kudos! Source: Robin Brooks
The dream of China surpassing the U.S. as the world’s largest economy is fading.
In 2021, China’s GDP was about 78% of the U.S.; by 2024, that share had fallen to roughly 64%, back to around 2017 levels, with the gap between the two economies doubling in just a few years. Note that we are talking about NOMINAL GDP. Over the last few years, the US has been generating inflation while China has been facing deflation or low inflation. This matters when you consider nominal GDP growth. Source: Terence Shen
South Korea's import costs are surging at a pace not seen in nearly 30 years.
Import prices jumped +16.1% MoM and +18.4% YoY in March, the largest monthly spike since January 1998. This comes as Dubai crude oil prices nearly doubled in a month, to an average of $128.52 a barrel, while the Korean won weakened -2.6% against the US Dollar over the same period. As a result, raw material import prices, including crude and other mining products, rose more than +40% MoM, with oil-related products such as naphtha and jet fuel amplifying cost pressures for manufacturers. Higher import costs will filter through to consumer prices over time, eroding household purchasing power and dragging on domestic demand and economic growth. Source: Global Markets Investor
The IMF's growth forecasts are out.
Qatar seems to be the worst hit from the Middle East War, with recovery set for 2027. Source: Statista
China’s economy gathered steam in the first quarter
Robust exports offset sluggish domestic consumption, though an energy shock stemming from the Iran war threatens to sap global demand and undercut that momentum. ➡️ Gross domestic product grew 5% in the three months to March, accelerating from 4.5% in the prior quarter. ➡️ Urban fixed-asset investment climbed 1.7% in the first quarter from a year earlier. ➡️ China’s retail sales grew 1.7% in March from a year earlier. Industrial output expanded 5.7%. ➡️ The urban survey-based unemployment rate in March was 5.4%, picking up from 5.3% in February. In the first quarter, China’s exports grew 14.7% from a year earlier in terms of U.S. dollars, the fastest pace since early 2022, according to EUI. That said, that growth has stalled as the Middle East conflict rages on. As the world’s largest oil importer and a heavily export-reliant economy, China is vulnerable to an oil shock that’s already slowing trade, pushing up factory costs, and darkening the outlook for the rest of the year. Source: CNBC
$8 TRILLION.
That’s how much US debt is coming due this year. Every dollar borrowed since 2020… Now needs to be refinanced in 2026. Back then? Interest rates were basically zero. Today? They’re staring at 4.5%+. — This isn’t just a number. It’s a pressure cooker: • $8T rolling over at higher costs • Oil prices creating fresh uncertainty • Inflation picking up again • Growth slowing down — Same debt. Very different world. And here’s the real issue: The US doesn’t just have a debt problem… It has a refinancing problem. Because when trillions reset at higher rates, everything becomes more expensive — fast. — So what’s the priority? Keep bond yields low. At all costs. Because if yields spike… This $8 trillion wave turns into something much bigger. Source: Crypto Tice
We can always use a bit of good news, right?
This chart from BofA shows that the US economy has become more and more resilient to oil shocks over time. Source: Markets & Mayhem
