Merck, the New Jersey drug giant, is paying $107 a share, or about $10 billion, to acquire Verona Pharma, a London company that makes a respiratory treatment that could bring $4 billion in annual sales in the next decade.
Category: TRENDS ON THE GLOBAL ECONOMIC FRONT – Jul 15 2025
SPECIAL REPORT: TRUMP’S TARIFF WAR
Last week, Donald Trump posted new take-it-or-leave it tariff letters to more than 14 countries on his social media platform and warned Mexico and the European Union that they were in line for a 30-percent blanket tariff if Trump was displeased with the outcome of current negotiations.
SPOTLIGHT: CHINA’S ECONOMIC UPS AND DOWNS
In June, the prices China’s factories charge for their products fell the most in two years as the U.S.-China trade war continues and domestic competitors are locked in a vicious price war to hold their shares of a shrinking market.
SPECIAL REPORT: OIL GLUT AHEAD
During the rest of this year, oil supply will grow three times faster than demand, according to an analysis by the International Energy Agency (IEA) in its new monthly report.
WPP REPORTS DECLINE IN NEW BUSINESS
WPP, regarded as the world's second-largest advertising agency, cut its guidance for 2025, saying revenue will be down by 3 to 5 percent compared to 2024.
BUSINESS PICKS UP FOR VW’s CAR BRANDS DESPITE PORSCHE SLUMP
Volkswagen’s auto group delivered 1.2 percent more passenger vehicles in this year’s second quarter than last year’s, the company reported. The group includes Audi, Porsche, and VW brands.
GOING OUT OF BUSINESS TRENDS
The economic landscape has presented an array of challenges that will profoundly affect the business community this year.
GERMANY’S EXPORTS CONTINUE TO DECLINE
Germany exported 1.4 percent fewer goods in May as Donald Trump’s tariff war cut shipments to the U.S. by 7.7 percent, government statistics agency Destatis reported.
WHEN THE ECONOMY FALLS, JOBS GO WITH IT
After a pause in layoffs in late spring, early summer, U.S. government jobs are again on the chopping block.








