Is the private-credit meltdown the next financial crisis? | The Economist

2026-03-04

Will the Iran war spark a global energy crisis? The Economist’s US economics editor, Rachana Shanbhogue, and Rosie Blau, co-host of The Intelligence podcast, discuss how the conflict is driving up oil and gas prices, disrupting global trade routes and what higher energy costs mean for inflation.

00:00 – What is the economic impact of the war in Iran?
01:26 – What does this mean for the global economy and inflation?
02:44 – Which sectors and regions are being hit hardest?
05:00 – Will this be a short-term shock or a lasting global impact?

Listen to the full episode: https://econ.st/4rP7mXK
Subscribe: https://www.economist.com/subscribe
Download the App: https://www.economist.com/get-the-app
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theeconomist/
Facebook:

2026-03-03

Oil prices have surged as the Iran war has spread across the Middle East. Our commodities editor, Matthieu Favas, explains how high they could go and the potential impact on America’s midterm elections in November.

2026-02-26

Americans aged 70 and over now own a whopping 39% of all stocks and mutual funds. That’s all well and good when the stockmarket is booming. But how they react in a downturn could have serious consequences.

Read more: https://econ.st/47X2HdQ
Subscribe to The Economist: https://econ.st/3Mia0pz
Download The Economist app: https://econ.st/4qdVVaA

Follow us on X: https://x.com/TheEconomist
Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theeconomist
Follow us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheEconomist

2026-01-14

One of Binyamin Netanyahu’s main rivals in Israel’s election, Naftali Bennett, says he would “smoke” out Hamas from Gaza, in an interview with The Economist.

2026-01-10

Israel’s prime minister Binyamin Netanyahu says Arab leaders in private “don’t give a hoot” about the Palestinian issue. In an interview with The Economist, Mr Netanyahu refused to rule out annexation of the West Bank.

2025-11-29

What connects a drug cartel in Mexico with a flat purchase in New York? The Economist explores how Chinese underground banking networks launder billions of illicit dollars every year, often on American soil.

2025-11-25

Stamp duty and property-transaction taxes are warping housing markets everywhere. Scrapping them would increase the buying and selling of homes and stimulate the economy, as our economics editor, Henry Curr, explains.

2025-10-04

North Koreans are being executed for watching foreign television shows. The Economist interviewed escapees and analysed satellite imagery to investigate Kim Jong Un’s increasingly brutal regime.