Economy

Russian invasion  Oil market
Oil traffic increases in Öresund: level with the Suez Canal

Oil tanker traffic through the Great Belt and Öresund has increased sharply, reports TT with reference to Danske Rederier.

During the first half of 2025, 4.9 million barrels of oil passed through the Great Belt and Öresund daily, which is an increase of 58 percent since 2021. This is also the same amount of oil that passed through the Suez Canal during the same period.

The Swedish Coast Guard does not have its own calculations but confirms a sharp increase in oil transports from Russian oil ports, reports SVT Skåne.

Chinese economy
China's battery exports rose sharply in the first quarter

China's lithium battery exports surged 50 percent at an annual rate in the first quarter, when the country's exports otherwise slowed down and rose by 2.5 percent in March, reports Bloomberg.

The increase was likely driven by earlier deliveries ahead of the country's export tax rebate to be phased out, along with increased demand for alternative energy sources due to the war in the Middle East, said Wang Jun, head of the customs authority.

The rising battery exports were followed by double-digit percentage growth in other green technologies, including electric cars and wind power.

Middle East crisis  Economic effects
IMF adjusts global growth forecast down

The momentum of the global economy is stalling due to the war in Iran. The right policies and stronger global cooperation are now needed to limit the damage, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) says in its global economic forecast.

“The final extent of the shock depends on the duration and scale of the conflict, and how quickly energy production and transport are normalized when the fighting ends,” writes IMF Chief Economist Pierre-Olivier Gourinchas.

The IMF expects global GDP to increase by 3.1 percent this year and 3.2 percent next year. This is a downward revision of 0.2 percentage points for both years. For Sweden, the IMF predicts an increase of 2.0 percent this year.

Despite major trade disruptions and political uncertainty, last year ended positively, the IMF writes. 

Saab sales
Information: Saab loses Gripen deal in Peru

Peru will choose the US and Lockheed Martin's F-16 instead of Sweden and Saab's Jas Gripen, reports the defense website defensa.com. It is expected to be announced on Tuesday.

The deal concerns 24 fighter planes.

Sweden and Saab have long worked to make the deal happen, writes EFN, and points to Wallenberg's visit to the country and a move of the Swedish embassy to the Peruvian capital Lima.

Saab: We have not received information about a decision

Saab has not received any official information that Peru would have chosen American fighter jets instead of buying Saab's Jas Gripen, reports DI. The Swedish defense giant has, however, been reached by the media reports.

"We are of course following the process further," writes press officer Mattias Rådström to DI.

The South American countries Brazil and Colombia have previously chosen Saab as a supplier of fighter jets. Argentina, Chile and Venezuela have turned to the American Lockheed Martin.