News about Macroeconomics
The extreme heat could leave Spain without olives and the French without vineyards.
The Republic of Moldova could become the country with the fastest-growing air traffic in Europe in the coming years.
Elon Musk, the world’s first trillionaire, celebrates his birthday on June 28. In 2026, he will turn 55. Born in Pretoria, South Africa, he has been interested in computers and entrepreneurship since childhood: at age 12, he created a video game and sold it to a computer magazine. Musk later moved from South Africa, became a Canadian citizen, and went on to build a career in the United States. On June 12, Forbes declared him a trillionaire with a previously unimaginable fortune of $1 trillion.
Ukraine has taken another step toward post-war recovery by signing 160 agreements worth over 10 billion euros at the Conference on Ukraine’s Recovery in Gdańsk, Poland. However, EU officials acknowledge that even large-scale investments will not yield the expected results unless the labor shortage is addressed.
The conflict between the U.S. and Iran is escalating. The U.S. military has launched new strikes against Iran’s military infrastructure following an attack on an oil tanker in the Strait of Hormuz. In response, Tehran announced strikes against U.S. targets in Kuwait and Bahrain.
As of the end of May, Moldova’s total public debt had risen to 143.1 billion lei, compared with 122.1 billion lei a year earlier. Over the course of the year, the country’s debt burden increased by 21 billion lei. Nevertheless, according to estimates by the Ministry of Finance and the IMF, the current ratio of total public debt to GDP remains within a safe range (around 37–38% of GDP).
The state budget deficit at the end of May stood at approximately 7.7 billion lei. This represents an increase of 777.1 million lei (or 11.4%) compared to the same period last year. The Ministry of Finance reported this while summarizing the results for the first five months.
Parliament passed the first reading of a bill to ratify a loan agreement with the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD) in the amount of 218.2 million euros. The funds are intended to support the Sustainable Growth Policy Operations Program.
King Charles III became the first reigning British monarch to officially disclose the amount of his personal tax payments. According to Buckingham Palace, he voluntarily contributed 12.9 million pounds to the national budget for the 2024–2025 fiscal year.
Moldovan regional thinking follows a simple pattern: the farther away from Chișinău, the worse it is; the closer to the border, the better the prospects. This holds true on the map, but not in the economy.
South Korea’s Samsung Electronics is considering a large-scale investment plan totaling about $700 billion over a ten-year period.
The European Commission wants to offer candidate countries, such as Ukraine and the Republic of Moldova, economic benefits prior to their accession to the EU.
The International Monetary Fund (IMF) confirmed a decline in energy and commodity prices following the conclusion of the U.S.-Iran agreement to cease hostilities and resume shipping in the Strait of Hormuz. However, the IMF noted that it will take time for supplies to fully normalize and return to pre-conflict levels.
The Social Democratic Party of Romania (PSD), the largest political force in the country’s parliament, has nominated its leader, Sorin Grindeanu, for the position of prime minister.
Excessive thrift has become the new norm, turning into a serious barrier to economic growth on the European continent. The inflationary shock of recent years has inflicted a much deeper psychological trauma on Europeans than on Americans, forcing them to resort to self-restraint and saving at the expense of consumption.
The Republic of Moldova ranks 64th out of 120 in the World Economic Forum’s Energy Transition Index 2026.
Gold fell below $4,000 per ounce for the first time since last November, while silver broke through the $60 mark. Precious metals came under pressure from a strengthening dollar and growing expectations of a tighter monetary policy by the U.S. Federal Reserve.
Venezuela is undergoing the largest debt restructuring in its history as it prepares to officially recognize its national debt of approximately $240 billion. This step became possible following a change in government and the removal of President Nicolás Maduro, which paved the way for the lifting of international sanctions and the start of negotiations with creditors. The investment bank Centerview Partners was brought in to develop a plan to return the national debt to a sustainable level.
Germany plans to further raise the retirement age to balance the system in light of its aging population. By the end of the century, the retirement age could rise to 70. These plans are currently under active discussion. The government plans to approve a bill, but it must pass through all stages of parliamentary approval, which has drawn harsh criticism from labor unions.
In May, Moldova’s foreign exchange market saw a decline in trading volumes, reflected in a 16% drop in net demand from companies. At the same time, 91.1% of the net demand from economic agents (legal entities) was met by supply from individuals. The National Bank publishes data on foreign exchange market conditions, noting that it did not intervene in the market during the reporting month.
