News about International trade
The National Energy Regulatory Agency (NERA) has set new maximum fuel prices that will be in effect tomorrow, May 19.
The bad news is that energy and commodity shortages will push prices higher. The good news is that core inflation remains largely subdued, giving central banks room to maneuver. The bad news is that inflation is rising sharply in the euro area and developing countries face rising inflationary risks from possible food shocks and climate risks. The good news is that a cooler labor market and incomes are keeping core commodity prices in check.
The Ministry of Energy, in cooperation with the Operator of the Energy Market of Moldova (OPEM), organized a new technical webinar dedicated to presenting trading opportunities on OPEM-managed platforms.
Diversifying trade relations amid global instability and U.S. trade policies will be the main subject of negotiations and the signing of an ambitious free trade and strategic partnership agreement (MGA) to strengthen economic ties. The European Union will be represented at the meeting by European Council President António Costa and European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen.
In April 2026, the Republic of Moldova secured the status of net exporter of sunflower oil. Exports exceeded imports in physical volume by more than three times. In value terms, exports also exceed imports, but in a smaller proportion.
Solar photovoltaic (PV) panels and storage systems, which allow households to store electricity, have fallen in price by 90% over the past decade. However, tax policy changes, rising silver prices, etc., may soon trigger a new round of price increases.
In the 2026/27 season, Ukraine will increase sunflower production, sunflower oil production and exports after a weaker 2025/26 marketing season. However, Russia is still ahead of Ukraine and will retain its status as the largest sunflower oil producer in the world. This is evidenced by the USDA forecast.
NEC Ukrenergo is considering the possibility of expanding interstate electricity connections, which in the long term may combine the energy systems of Ukraine and Romania through the territory of Moldova.
A multibillion-dollar deal to supply AI chips from Nvidia to a dozen Chinese companies has hung up. The reasons are twofold: Beijing’s stiff opposition and American President Donald Trump’s exotic terms. Although the former also follows from the latter.
A7A5, a stablecoin linked to Russia and designed to bypass bank restrictions on fund transfers, says faster transaction completion, yields and regional crypto infrastructure could keep it relevant even as geopolitical tensions subside.
While the world is buying up chips for artificial intelligence, Samsung Electronics is trying to avoid a crisis within the company. On Monday, management and the memory maker’s largest labor union will sit down at the bargaining table again, three days before a possible large-scale strike.
April 2026 turned out to be a month of active sales of Moldovan sunflower. Despite a sharp decline in commercial stocks of the 2025 crop in Moldova in the last third of the season, its April exports from the country exceeded 73.4 thousand tons, worth more than 909.2 million lei.
Spanish national police, with the support of Italian law enforcers and Europol, detained in Naples 12 people suspected of a series of audacious robberies of tourists in Spain. The criminals targeted expensive watches.
Abu Dhabi’s sovereign wealth fund Mubadala Energy has backed the construction of a new $13 billion liquefied natural gas (LNG) export terminal in the US.
Starbucks is betting on India while continuing its austerity drive. The coffee giant will open its first technology office in the country. The company wants to bring some of its IT development under its own control and refuse the services of external contractors.
Europe could face shortages of a number of medicines amid escalating conflict over Iran and logistical disruptions across the Strait of Hormuz.
The visuals of this week’s summit between Donald Trump and Xi Jinping were carefully crafted to showcase the equality between the U.S. and China.
The European Commission has approved four genetically modified crops for use in the food and animal feed industries. These are two genetically modified lines of cotton, one line each of corn and soybeans. The decision was published on March 12 in the Official Journal of the EU and will be valid for 10 years.
The Kremlin announced on Saturday that Russian President Vladimir Putin will travel to Beijing on May 19-20 to meet with Chinese President Xi Jinping to discuss deepening bilateral cooperation and addressing key international issues. The leaders are expected to sign a joint statement and a number of agreements during the visit.
Reuters reports that Amazon.com Inc is facing a class action lawsuit from consumers seeking refunds for overcharges on the company’s goods. The inflated prices resulted from the imposition of duties that the U.S. Supreme Court later recognized were illegally imposed by President Donald Trump.
