The Wholistic View

| Image:   Japanese PM Shinzo Abe & South Korean President Moon Jae-In at the G-20 Summit,2019| Japan and South Korea are Asia's biggest economies after China and India and have gained worldwide acclaim for their global brands. But the relationship between these 2 powerhouses have long been strained, and now we're seeing those tensions escalating into a full-blown trade dispute. Amid these tensions, many people are curious as to why these nations are at loggerheads? The Wholistic View tries to find the answer (8 Min. Read) In July 2019, the Japanese Government announced that it would restrict the export of chemicals- fluorinated polyamides, photoresists, and hydrogen fluoride(crucial for producing semiconductors)  to South Korea citing reasons that Korean companies had been inadequately managing these chemicals and leaking them to North Korea for the advancement of its military applications. South Korea on the other hand vehemently denied these accusations and called on ...

| Image:   G-7 leaders at a summit in August 2019| For Starters, "G-7" meaning "Group of 7" is an informal bloc of countries, made up of so-called world's seven largest advanced economies that meet annually to discuss issues such as global economic governance, international security and energy policy etc. This Forum wields considerable influence on matters concerning the international economic policy. Recently, the head of one of its member state, the U.S. President Mr Donald Trump has expressed his intention to delay its annual summit and proposed to expand its number for members. So, why has this symposium come into being and what does the future hold for it? | The Wholistic View tries to expound ( 6 Min Read )| The Group of 7(G-7) is an informal entente of seven nations namely, The United States, Canada, West Germany(now Germany), Japan, Italy, France and The United Kingdom. This group came into existence to in 1975 when leaders of six states except Canada me...

  | Image:   VOA News| There is no question that the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and World Bank continue to be amongst the most relevant and significant powerful norm-setters, convenors, knowledge-holders and influencers of the international development and financial landscape. The IMF and the World Bank are closely linked – so close that their headquarters are across the street in Washington DC, USA. So what’s the difference between the two?| The Wholistic View Explains ( 5 Min Read )| Founded in 1944 by Delegates of 44 nations in Bretton Woods, New Hampshire, U.S.A., with a general consensus that the old system of exchange rates and payments had failed, leading to the Great Depression, currency devaluations and the collapse of the gold standard. the World Bank Group (WBG, or Bank) and the International Monetary Fund (IMF, or Fund) are twin intergovernmental institutions that are influential in shaping the structure of the world’s development and financial order. T...

| Image:   Reuters| The Pandemic has disrupted economies worldwide, and oil is not escaping unscathed. While fluctuations in oil prices are not new, the latest tailspin sent oil companies and investors in a state of alarm. What does this mean for arguably the most important commodity in the world? The Wholistic View illustrates ( 4 Min Read ). Market forces such as Demand and Supply usually determine the price of commodities but the same cannot be said for oil. The dynamics behind oil prices are often complex, with environmental and geopolitical factors at play. At the start of 2020, demand for oil around the world plunged but oil-producing countries continued to generate the commodity at a surplus.  At one point, the price for a barrel of West Texas Intermediate, the benchmark for US oil, fell to a negative -$37.63 a barrel which meant that oil producers were paying buyers to offload the commodity. For years, global oil production has been increasing steadily fuelled ...

You know the US Dollar($) is the official currency of the United States and its territories, but, some other countries use it as their official currency too. In fact, the US Dollar($) is known as the world's reserve currency. So How Exactly did it become so powerful??| The Wholistic View Explains!! (5 Minute Read) | More than $1.8 trillion of U.S. Currency is now in circulation around the world, and its believed that two-thirds of $100 bills and nearly half of $50 bills are held outside the U.S. In Fact, the US Dollar($) is the de facto global currency, meaning it is kept by many governments in reserves, thus, most people and companies trust it for international trade. Even, as the Coronavirus Pandemic wreaked havoc across global markets, wiping out trillions of dollars' worth of assets, the U.S. Dollar($) was unaffected by the turmoil. At one point, it soared 4% against a basket of major currencies, namely the Euro, Pound, Yen, Canadian dollar, Swiss Franc and Swedish Krona. S...