Global Economy

This explainer looks at what determines financial conditions, the impact they have on markets and the real economy, along with the indicators you can watch to monitor how they’re evolving.

The world's strongest currency is the Kuwait dinar. Its high value comes from Kuwait’s booming oil industry, which accounts for 80% of the country’s exports. It is also the highest valued currency pegged to the US dollar.

An economic depression is more severe and long-lasting than a recession, but both can wreak havoc on financial markets. Find out what the difference between a depression and recession is, and how you can prepare for a longer economic decline.

Copper has a huge range of applications across industries, which is why traders use it as a benchmark for economic health. Learn how to trade copper futures and copper mining stocks to take advantage of changes in the metal’s price.

The Baltic Dry Index has proven to be a reliable indicator of future global economic activity and could prove a useful tool amid the uncertain outlook.

A financial crisis occurs when a major financial asset rapidly loses value, causing stocks prices to plunge and depositors to pull their money from financial institutions. Learn more in our review of the 2008 financial crisis.

As the price of lumber continues to rise, we should continue to expect the price of housing to rise as well.

Emerging markets present a range of opportunities to take advantage of volatility and growth across stocks, indices and currency pairs. Discover how to recognise an emerging market and what you should know before trading emerging market assets.