LunarWeaveJapan’s Inflation Is Now Higher Than America’s
IMF average CPI inflation was above 2% in the United States for five calendar years through 2025. Japan has now had four such years, and in 2025 Japanese inflation ran higher than America’s.
Research — Page 2
Standalone, data-led research into the questions behind the news.
Nepal’s Electricity Now Hangs On Himalayan Rivers
Nepal generates 98.9 percent of its electricity from hydropower and more than tripled on-grid hydro capacity from 2019 to 2025, leaving almost no domestic thermal backup after a Himalayan gl
Qatar’s Worst Slump In A Generation Still Leaves An 11 Percent Surplus
IMF accounts already put Qatar in a worse 2026 slump than Covid, with goods exports down about a fifth — and still an 11 percent current-account surplus.
China’s Population Peaked In 2021. India’s Rise Is Still Much Larger.
IMF headcount shows China peaked in 2021; India’s three-year gain is still about 8.5 times China’s loss.
The $103,000 H-1B Fee Is 42 Weeks Of Tech-Services Pay
The proposed $103,265 H-1B fee equals 42 weeks of average pay in computer systems design, an industry already 117,000 jobs below its 2023 peak.
The United States Is Paying Italy’s Interest Bill — Without Italy’s Surplus
IMF 2024 accounts show a 3.5 percent of GDP US interest residual, matching Italy rather than Japan, on top of a still-wide primary deficit.
Germany’s 0.5% Forecast Is A Stalled Recovery, Not A New Crash
Germany’s reported 0.5% 2026 growth forecast follows two IMF contraction years, not a new crash.
Half Of America’s Budget Hole Is Now Interest. The Rest Never Closed.
IMF books show the 2025 US general-government deficit split almost evenly between a still-open primary gap and a larger interest bill — a different story from the $40 trillion headline.
Israel Is Still Growing. The War’s Scar Is In The Economy.
IMF population data show Israel still adding people in 2024. The war years show up in stalled output and an 8 percent-of-GDP deficit, not in a shrinking country.
The $40 Trillion Debt Milestone Is A Bigger Dollar Economy, Not A Second 2020
The Treasury $40 trillion print is a dollar stock. IMF general-government accounts show the US debt ratio still below its 2020 peak, with interest now about half of a deficit that remains a
$90 Oil Is A Shock Against Last Year, Not Against History
A $90 Brent print after the US-Iran ceasefire lapsed is a break with 2025’s $68 average and the IMF’s $80 assumption for 2026 — not a return to 2022’s $99 year.
Russia’s War Economy Grew. The Boom Is Already Fading.
IMF accounts show Russia’s real GDP above 2021 after a 2023-24 wartime boom, now slowing toward 1 percent as the EU prepares tougher sanctions.
