What can the sky tell us about economic recovery? The case of the West Bank & Gaza Gianluca MeleNur Nasser EddinSahiti SarvaFarhan Reynaldo Hutabarat October 29, 2026 This page in: English العربية

https://blogs.worldbank.org/en/arabvoices/what-can-the-sky-tell-us-about-economic-recovery--the-case-of-th Economic crises are usually measured through national accounts, employment surveys, business records, household data, and other traditional indicators. But what happens when conflict increases uncertainty while making conventional data harder to collect, precisely when quantitative evidence is most needed?

Palestinian tech goes to Silicon Valley Zackaria SabellaKaliza KaruretwaKaren Grigorian October 29, 2026 This page in: English

https://blogs.worldbank.org/en/arabvoices/palestinian-tech-goes-to-silicon-valley This was not a charity evening. It was a business meeting. The room had founders, investors, tech executives, and ecosystem builders from the Silicon Valley and the Arab world.

The Commodity Markets Outlook in eight charts John BaffesKaltrina Temaj October 30, 2026 This page in: English

https://blogs.worldbank.org/en/developmenttalk/the-commodity-markets-outlook-in-eight-charts4 Commodity prices are set to remain elevated, with the global index projected to rise 23 percent in 2026 before declining 7 percent in 2027. Global commodity prices are projected to increase 23 percent in 2025 before retreating 7 percent in 2027. The outlook hinges on continued supply disruptions, particularly in energy and fertilizer markets, whose price indexes are expected to rise 32 and 14 percent, respectively, in 2026 before easing in 2027. Food prices are projected to increase 10 percent in 2026 amid an intensified El Niño, disruptions to Black Sea grain supplies, higher input costs, and increased diversion to biofuels, especially biodiesel. Metals and minerals prices are expected to rise 28 percent in 2026, reflecting strong demand and limited supply growth, while precious metals prices are projected to increase nearly 40 percent. Risks are tilted to the upside and include prolonged hostilities in the Middle East, stronger-than-expected effects from El Niño, and extended disruptions to Black Sea supplies.

A century of extreme poverty: five facts from 1950 to 2050 Christoph LaknerSamuel Kofi Tetteh Baah October 26, 2026 This page in: English

https://blogs.worldbank.org/en/opendata/five-facts-about-extreme-poverty-in-the-world-in-long-time-horiz 1. The world has made remarkable progress in reducing extreme poverty in the past 75 years. Between 1950 and 2025, the world has experienced remarkable progress in reducing the proportion of the population living in extreme poverty from 60 percent to 10 percent. Consider the lifetime of someone in their 70s today. When they were born, six out of ten people were living in extreme poverty globally. Today, one out of ten people are living in extreme poverty. The world has made remarkable progress in reducing extreme poverty over the past 75 years, despite the global population more than tripling (from 2.5 billion to 8.3 billion). Today, more than 800 million people are living in extreme poverty; that is, they live on less than $3.00 a day (2021 PPP).

Special Focus Commodity Price Connections: How Does Volatility Spread?

https://openknowledge.worldbank.org/server/api/core/bitstreams/4ae4bae8-2fb7-41a8-8c1e-95f321eb9794/content Commodity price fluctuations are highly consequential for economic conditions in many emerging market and developing economies (EMDEs). Moreover, individual commodity prices often move in tandem with other commodity prices, so determining the origin of price volatility can be challenging. Using a measure of price volatility connectedness across 15 internationally traded commodities over 2006–26, commodity-specific factors are found to dominate price volatility: roughly two-thirds is commodity-specific, while about one-third is associated with shocks in other commodity markets. About half of measured connectedness reflects links within broad commodity groups. Industrial metals and food are the principal net-transmitting groups, while livestock and soft commodities are the main net receivers. At the individual commodity level, copper, maize, oil, and silver stand out as important bridges across groups. Connectedness rises during episodes of global stress: the global financial crisis, the COVID-19 pandemic, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, and the recent conflict in the Middle East are all associated with increases in cross-market connectedness. These results suggest that market-specific analysis can be complemented by monitoring cross-market transmission, particularly during periods of global stress.

Commodity Markets Outlook, October 2026 | Executive Summary

The Middle East conflict has dealt a historic shock to energy supplies, but several other shocks are also hitting commodity markets. Hostilities between Russia and Ukraine are impeding Black Sea grain and oilseed shipments and constraining Russia’s output of oil products, notably diesel. A very strong El Niño threatens the production of agricultural commodities. In addition, supply constraints amid demand from renewables- and technology-linked investment have propelled base metals prices higher. Overall, commodity prices are projected to increase by 23 percent in 2026, to their second-highest level since 2013, led by a 32 percent jump in energy prices. As global oil production drops more than 5 percent in 2026, Brent oil prices are forecast to remain elevated in the near term, averaging $91 per barrel for the year. Oil prices would be higher still if oil demand were not set to fall 2.5 percent this year, the third-largest drop behind the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 and the oil crisis in 1980. Food commodity prices are on track to climb by 10 percent in 2026, well above the April forecast. Metal and minerals prices are projected to reach an all-time high. In 2027, commodity prices are forecast to decline by 7 percent, with Brent prices receding to $79 per barrel and slight reductions in other energy and metal prices, but a further 7 percent rise in food prices. Even so, 2027 price projections have mostly been revised up since April, by 14 percent for energy. The forecast hinges on a confluence of moderating factors: no major escalation of the Middle East conflict, a recovery in Russia’s oil output, easing constraints on Black Sea food shipments, and manageable crop losses from El Niño. Setbacks on these fronts could mean persistently high energy prices and stress in food markets. In an adverse scenario, oil prices would average $105 per barrel in 2027, and food prices would exceed their 2022 level. Such developments would drive global inflation higher and worsen food insecurity https://openknowledge.worldbank.org/server/api/core/bitstreams/f225ffdd-3fc9-4227-a638-171df46ce9a6/content

Commodity Markets Outlook – October 2026

https://openknowledge.worldbank.org/server/api/core/bitstreams/1c9dc022-37f3-4d4f-95be-1e353b232a8c/content