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DURHAM ECONOMICS DIGEST
Markets
Bears and bulls: All the latest insights on the highs and lows of financial markets.


Intel’s Supply Bottlenecks Expose the High Cost of a Manufacturing Comeback
Intel is one of the world’s largest semiconductor companies, designing and manufacturing chips that power personal computers, data centres, and critical digital infrastructure. Long dominant in PC processors, the company is now attempting a costly revival of its manufacturing capabilities to compete at the cutting edge of advanced chip production in the US. Recent market reactions show how difficult and economically risky that effort remains. Supply Constraints and Revenue P

Gayathri Sunil Pushpangadan
Jan 252 min read


The EU-Mercosur Agreement: A New Chapter in Global Trade
After more than 25 years of negotiations, the European Union and the Mercosur trade bloc, consisting of Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay, have taken a historic step towards a trade pact that could reshape global commerce. On January 9th 2026, the EU Council authorised the signature of the EU-Mercosur Partnership Agreement and an interim Trade Agreement, marking a breakthrough in discussions dating back to 1999. The agreement was formally signed in mid-January

James Smith
Jan 252 min read


The Economy of Iran Needs a Monetary Cooldown, not Another Revolution
The Economy of Iran Needs a Monetary Cooldown, Not Another Revolution. When Mr. Khomeini stepped out of that famous chartered Air France Boeing 747 flight on February 1, 1979 in Tehran, it did not cross anyone’s mind for a second that forty-seven years later, the children of those who so ardently rioted against their banished King, would indeed riot again to have their olden days back. Revolution, they so emphatically hold, would bring those days back. I believe, however, tha

Ali Hashemifara
Jan 134 min read


The EU’s Reparations Loan Is Risky. Here's An Alternative.
On December 18th , the day I am nervously looking forward to, the European Council in Brussels will make a decision either too prudent or too fatal. Europe has now reached a stage where it needs only one last push to deter Russian aggression. The push however, is not anymore affordable. That is why you and I have recently heard too much about what Brussels calls “reparations loan” which I must admit I hope it be not implemented. The EU is short of Ukraine’s new budget require

Ali Hashemifara
Dec 14, 20255 min read


Buy Now, Pay Later: is financing that Black Friday burrito really worth it?
Buy Now, Pay Later (BNPL) providers have rapidly taken over online checkouts. Now, it’s become impossible to visit any online vendor without seeing the soft pastel colours of Klarna or Afterpay; slowly dominating and becoming the primary method of payment for the younger shoppers. The prospect of paying four small instalments – no interest charged, if paid on time. This makes the hard pill of the total price much easier to swallow. BNPL providers like Klarna, Affirm, Afterpay

Gabby Wong
Dec 7, 20254 min read


Winner of the 2022/23 Undergraduate Essay Competition: Sonia Lee
Sonia Lee discusses the economic and geopolitical implications of the recent US-imposed tariffs on semiconductors in China

Sonia Lee
Feb 11, 20236 min read


Uncertainty; Spreads Like Wildfire
An investigation into the relationship between uncertainty and credit spreads

Bailey Rawden
Jan 2, 20238 min read


Memecoins: A harmless joke or something far more sinister?
On 6th December 2013, Dogecoin was launched as a proof of work cryptocurrency, based upon the existing protocols of Litecoin and...

Samuel Buchan
Jan 18, 20223 min read


Stealing from the Poor to Endow the Rich: The Robinhood Irony
On March 23, 2016, Robinhood, a little-known brokerage app at the time, tweeted “Let the people trade.” By 2018, the app was on the...

Legacy Writer
Sep 23, 20214 min read


Insider Trading: Do the banks really care?
Jonathan is a 2nd year Finance/Econometrics PhD student at Durham University Business School, has an MBA in Finance from Durham and a PhD...

Legacy Writer
Sep 23, 20214 min read



Legacy Writer
Sep 23, 20214 min read


How Can the Financial Services Industry Benefit from the Internet of Things?
Firstly, one must define the Internet of things (IoT). Put simply, it is the network of physical objects which are embedded with...

Legacy Writer
Sep 23, 20216 min read


Will April Showers Bring May Flowers For Oil Importers?
Following years of rapid fluctuations, crude oil prices finally peaked at a staggering $136.55 per barrel in 2008. However, the recession...

Legacy Writer
Sep 23, 20214 min read


The Perils of Plunging Oil Prices
With the lifting of sanctions on Iran’s oil production, Greece’s largest oil refinery has agreed to be the first European buyer of...

Legacy Writer
Sep 23, 20212 min read


$49 Per Barrel - The Winners and Losers
Global oil prices have plummeted, halving in only seven months. Given that Brent Crude was $49 per barrel on the 23rd January, it is hard...

Legacy Writer
Sep 23, 20213 min read
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