A report on 20 of the most important influences, changes and situations in global economics, for January 2026. 1 Inflation Eased in the US. Energy prices fell 1.5% in January, used car prices slid 1.8%, contributing to cooler US CPI. In addition, the annual Consumer Price Index, the inflation indicator, slows to 2.4%. 2 Job growth in the US Non farm payrolls increased by 130,000 jobs and the unemployment rate was 4.3%. Beating expectations. 3 Global growth forecast India: 6.2

(announced or closed Strategic deals and investments: the highlights. ).  1. xAI. Consortium of institutional investors.   $20 billion; Series E fundraiser for the strategic investments into the development of xAi. 2. Paramount Skydance  Hostile bid for Warner Bros. Discovery  $108 billion  3. Electronic Arts Consortium  Electronic Arts management buys itself for  $55 billion to invest in the future of the Home Entertainment industry (video games). 4. Boston Scientific  Acqui

GLOBAL GDP The OECD forecast a more modest forecast for 2026, suggesting that growth will be expected to settle at 2.9%, following the period of 2025, where growth rates ranged from 2.8% to 3.2% GLOBAL TRADE The view of global trade from the end of 2025 witnessed retrospectively, record volumes but slowing growth. South-South trade Surge; Trade between developing economies in East Asia and Africa expanded by about 8%. AI in compliance; nearly 50% of the firms that had adopted

Mergers & Acquisitions (M&A) Activity 2,675 announced, global M&A deals. Total estimated sector totals for announced M&A deals. Technology, Media and telecom: $136bn. Industrials and Services: $45bn. Energy, Clean tech and Infrastructure: $32bn. Financial Services and Real Estate: $28bn. Healthcare and Life Sciences: $25bn. Consumer Retail & Other: $22bn. Cross-Sector / Miscellaneous: $47bn. Total value: approx. $335 bn. (Source: IMAA: Institute for Mergers, Acquisitions an