Forecasting sectoral growth remains both an art and a science, even in our era of vast databases and advanced analytics. While aggregate macroeconomic forecasts—GDP, inflation, labor participation—tend to capture headlines, a great deal of economic dynamism actually plays out at the level of individual sectors. For this reason, longitudinal data organized by International Standard Industrial […]
The International Trade Council (ITC) welcomes the news that the European Union has agreed to eliminate tariffs on US lobster, a key priority of President Donald Trump, in exchange for the US halving import taxes on some $160m worth of European goods, including cigarette lighters and certain crystal glassware. The agreement is the first tariff […]
Tourism is a powerful force in modern economies—fueling job creation, entrepreneurship, and regional development. But the real impact of visitor spending is often hard to measure. Too frequently, analysis focuses on headline arrivals or hotel occupancy, missing the broader ripple effects across restaurants, transport, entertainment, and retail. To address this gap, economists have turned to […]
There’s a tendency, even among seasoned economists, to treat ISIC codes as though they exist in a vacuum—neatly separating sectors, sorting economic activity into convenient boxes. But in reality, the landscape of industry is far more layered. Businesses come in all shapes and sizes, wrapped in a range of legal structures that, if we’re honest, […]
The International Trade Council announces that the European Union has formally adjusted its trade relationship with Cambodia, moving away from its preferential trade programme, the Everything but Arms (EBA) agreement. The decision, resulting from Cambodia’s persisting systemic human rights violations, reinstates custom duties on a significant proportion of Cambodia’s exports to the EU. Under the […]
Foreign direct investment (FDI) is fiercely competitive. Every country wants its share of new factories, technology parks, or corporate headquarters. Yet success rarely comes from simply lowering taxes or launching glossy ad campaigns. Instead, the most effective investment promotion agencies (IPAs) have learned to speak the language of both global investors and local economic realities. […]
The shock of early 2020 hit the restaurant industry with a speed and force that left analysts scrambling for answers almost as fast as owners scrambled to survive. Streets that once buzzed with activity fell silent. Headlines told part of the story, but policymakers and researchers needed something firmer than anecdotes: actual numbers, mapped in […]
The International Trade Council (ITC) is concerned by the decision of the European Court of Justice (ECJ) to strike down the EU-US Privacy Shield, which governed the transfer of EU citizens’ data to the United States. The ITC recognizes the potential negative consequences of this decision on transatlantic trade worth $7.1 trillion ( £5.6tn), and […]
The arrival of the pandemic in early 2020 didn’t just clear the streets; it emptied classrooms. For weeks and months, pre-primary and primary schools that had been reliable anchors for families suddenly became symbols of disruption. To understand the scale—and the unevenness—of these educational shocks, policymakers and researchers leaned on more than headlines or ministry […]
The International Trade Council (ITC) welcomes the start of post-Brexit trade talks between the United Kingdom and Japan, which are set to begin on Tuesday. The negotiations aim to reach agreement on a new trade deal to replace the current agreement Britain has with Japan through the European Union. Without a new deal by […]
In the wake of the pandemic, questions about where—and how—healthcare money is spent became urgent. It wasn’t just a matter of how much funding was available, but how well budgets translated into real care. For policymakers and analysts, ISIC codes once again provided a structured window into the tangle of public and private healthcare spending, […]
The buzz around fintech is hard to miss—startups reimagining payments, banks, lending, and insurance, often outpacing traditional players in both innovation and customer adoption. But beneath the press releases and conference panels, the question for economists and policymakers is simple: how do you measure the real scale and trajectory of fintech growth? ISIC 6202, which […]
By 2019, the global race to expand renewable energy was visible not just in new solar farms or the skyline of wind turbines but also in the spreadsheets of economists and planners. Yet measuring real progress—and comparing it to national ambitions—requires more than watching construction crews. ISIC 3510, the code for electric power generation, offers […]
The International Trade Council announces that US President Donald Trump has officially signed the US Mexico Canada Agreement (USMCA), which is set to replace the 1994 North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). This new trade pact brings Trump’s campaign promise to replace the existing deal between the three countries closer to reality. The USMCA aims […]
The International Trade Council announces that the United States and China have signed an agreement to ease the trade war that has impacted global markets and the world economy. US President Donald Trump called the pact “transformative” for the US economy, while Chinese leaders described it as a “win-win” deal that would foster better relations […]
Green finance is now a central theme in both public policy and private investment. The expansion of green bonds, sustainability-linked loans, and climate-focused equity products reflects growing demand for alignment between capital allocation and environmental objectives. Yet for all the momentum, one challenge remains persistent: how to reliably track where the money is going, and […]