China Urban population trend

Trend in Urbanization in China, 2006-2016

Eric Garland DataLab

With almost 800 million inhabitants living in cities, urbanization in China has been one of the most important trends in the last half century. As tensions with the West increase due to its intelligence operations, particularly in Australia and the United States, economic stability will be critical to maintaining security in those densely populated areas. Urban areas require more industrial …

Iranian rial

Iranian rial collapsing amid geopolitical tensions with the US

Eric Garland DataLab

The Iranian rial is in dire straits as NATO force moves to clash with Iran’s proxy state, Syria. As Russia is also behind the rogue Syrian regime – and considering Russia’s support for the Iranian Islamic Republic – this macroeconomic shock is inevitable and likely to worsen. Consider also the skyrocketing inflation in Iran. We expect significant geopolitical shift of …

WTI crude oil price chart 2018

WTI Crude Oil Prices, Feb 2017 – Feb 2018

Eric Garland DataLab

Since so much geopolitical shift happens because of fossil fuel prices, we keep a close watch on major indicators such as the West Texas Intermediate, or WTI Crude Oil price. The greatest geopolitical shift right now of course involves the declining fortunes of the Russian Federation, the economy of which is strictly tied to fossil fuel markets. This chart of …

ruble dollar

Russian ruble plunges versus US dollar

Eric Garland DataLab

We’re tracking the immediate impact of the biting sanctions of the United States targeting the oligarchs of the Russian Federation as individuals. Some of the most powerful people in Russia – Viktor Vekelsberg, Oleg Deripaska, and others – have been directly sanctioned. This is extremely important as the Russian Federation has used its oligarchs as a de facto tool of …