January 2020

U.S. real gross domestic product (GDP) increased at an annual rate of 2.1 percent in the fourth quarter of 2019

Consistent with its statutory mandate, the Committee seeks to foster maximum employment and price stability. The Committee decided to maintain the target range for the federal funds rate at 1‑1/2 to 1-3/4 percent.

Kazakhstan’s recovery has continued, with growth in the first nine months of 2019 reaching 4.3 percent. High domestic demand driven by major oil and gas investments and government and household consumption supported by wage increases and consumer lending has underpinned the economy’s strong performance.

Brent rose 66 cents, or 1.1%, to $60.17 a barrel. U.S. WTI was up 62 cents, or 1.2%, at $54.10 a barrel.

Gazprom supplied its first billion cubic meters of gas via the TurkStream gas pipeline.

The U.S. government will spend $1 trillion more than it collects in 2020 and deficits will reach or exceed that threshold every year for the foreseeable future. As a share of gross domestic product, the deficit will be at least 4.3% every year through 2030.

Overall, China's power generation rose by 4.7% in 2019, triggered by nuclear power generation (+18%) and renewable power generation (+5.7% for hydropower, +11% for wind and +25% for solar). CO2-free power generation thus accounted for 32.6% of the country's power mix. Thermal power generation grew at a slower pace (+2.4%, with +1.7% for coal-fired power generation).

In November 2019, Coal India decided to advance its coal production target of 1 Gt/year by two years, from 2026 to 2024.

The German cabinet on Wednesday backed plans to exit coal as an energy source by 2038 at the latest as part of Berlin’s efforts on climate protection,

Wind power is one of the most important drivers of Germany’s transition to renewable energy and a related target for green energy to reach 65% of electricity production by 2030 will be missed at the current rate of turbine growth,