News about Macroeconomics

Negotiations between American cosmetics giant Estée Lauder and Spanish group Puig, which could have led to the creation of a luxury beauty holding company worth about $40 billion, broke down at the very last moment – after several months of almost finalized work on the deal.

The National Energy Regulatory Agency (ANRE) has approved the maximum fuel prices that will be valid in Moldova tomorrow, May 26.

The proceeds to the state budget of the Republic of Moldova from the activity of the Customs Service for the period of May 18-24, 2026, amounted to more than 871.7 million lei.

Moldovan President Maia Sandu is convening a meeting of the National Security Council (NSC) on Tuesday, May 26, in connection with the country’s energy security.

European sugar producers are facing deteriorating financial results and are forced to cut production and cooperation with farmers amid falling prices and market changes.

On the COMEX, a division of the New York Mercantile Exchange, gold futures for delivery in August are trading at $4,598.35 per troy ounce, up 0.92% at the time of this commentary.

Official inflation in Moldova in annualized terms in April 2026 amounted to 6.8%. In the previous month it was 5.8%. So the April growth was the most significant since December 2025.

European businesses that have remained in Russia have cooled sharply in their assessments of the immediate future of the Russian economy. Whereas a year ago half of the companies believed in growth, now only 17% do. At the same time, the number of those who expect the situation to worsen has almost doubled.

The dollar fell on Monday as rising hopes led to lower yields and increased risk appetite. The weakening dollar and rising risk appetite was driven by recent news of progress in the US-Iran peace agreement, lower geopolitical tensions and falling oil prices, which reduced expectations of prolonged inflation.

Despite the statements of some experts that money transfers from abroad to Moldova are decreasing, the statistics show the opposite.

Moldova’s passport is currently ranked 87th in the Nomad Passport Index 2026, with a total score of 79. The country has moved up 5 positions compared to last year.

The Government is aligning the legal framework concerning the minimum wage with the EU Adequate Minimum Wage Directive. An indicative reference value of 50% of the projected average monthly wage will be introduced, which will be used as a benchmark for assessing the adequacy of the minimum wage, without automatically setting its level.

The richest one in a thousand residents of Europe receives about 4.5% of all incomes, but in different countries this figure differs several times – from less than 2% to more than 10%. This is evidenced by the data of the World Inequality Database.

Popular statistical service Numbeo has presented a fresh ranking of countries in terms of average monthly salary after taxes.

European aviation is preparing for the winter season with a worrying scenario: airlines may start cutting flights amid expensive fuel and deteriorating flight economics.

The wheat market has entered the weather market phase – the phase of dependence on forecasts of the new harvest. Exchange quotations are growing amid expectations of a significant reduction in production in key exporting countries in the 2026/27 marketing year. Especially as the most influential forecasters – the International Grains Council (IGC) and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) – report a potential reduction in the crop-2026.

For several years now, a significant part of Chinese youth, disillusioned with their economic prospects, has been adhering to the principle of “lying down”, i.e. refusing in principle to engage in career competition (the notorious “rat race”).

Citizens of Moldova and Ukraine will be able to receive pensions for the length of service earned in the neighboring state, regardless of where they live now. The Moldovan government will consider on Wednesday, May 27, a draft ratification of an agreement with Ukraine in the social security sector.

Turkey’s state-owned banks were forced to make large-scale currency interventions following a court ruling against a Turkish opposition leader, and the stock market collapsed 6.1 percent in a short time.

In two weeks, on June 7, Armenia will hold elections to the National Assembly, the country’s parliament. Nineteen political forces are registered to participate in the elections: two blocs and 17 parties. The total number of voters is 2,483,520. This figure is comparable to that of Moldova, and the parallels do not end there.