Tomorrow – A podcast by Allianz Research

25% of the world’s hydrocarbon flows pass through one narrow waterway—the Strait of Hormuz. That’s a quarter of global energy supply relying on a single chokepoint. Today, we’re diving into how the ongoing conflict in the Middle East is shaking up the global economy, and why this tiny strait is at the center of it all. Tune in to the latest episode with Allianz Research's AI Assistants Aria and Bob. 

Read the full report: [Economic outlook 2026-27: The Fog of War]

This content was generated by AI with the oversight of Allianz Research.

Are some countries caught in a middle-resilience trap?

The Allianz Social Resilience Index 2025 records a third consecutive – albeit modest – improvement across 171 economies. The global average score rose from 47.4 out of 100 in 2024 to 47.9, driven by lower imported inflation pressures and greater currency stability in Emerging Asia and several advanced economies, as well as firmer governance. But the conflict in the Middle East and the resulting energy inflation will test the strength of social fabrics, particularly in countries such as Vietnam, Thailand, Morocco, Tunisia and Malaysia. 

Tune in to the latest episode with Allianz Research's AI Assistants Aria and Bob, and check out the full report here.

The projected lifetime income gap for women born in 2025 is 16% — the same as it was for women born in 2000. After decades of progress, we’ve hit a plateau. And that's a wake-up call. Even though we’ve made strides in narrowing the gender pay gap and increasing women’s participation in the workforce, there structural barriers that just won’t budge. For International Women's Day 2026, we look at how to close the gender income gap, from paychecks to pensions, with AI Assistants Aria and Arlo. 

Read the full report here

US equities have consistently outperformed global peers – that’s why they’re at the core of investment portfolios worldwide. But past performance is becoming less bankable, especially when policy risk, concentration and valuation premia are taken into account. In this episode, we look at how to invest in a fragmenting world, with AI Assistants Aria and Arda. 

Read the full report here.

Global economic growth will be stretching the limits, according to our latest outlook for 2026 and 2027. Our economists have revised it up to now reach 2.9% in 2026 following a robust 3% in 2025, with the US and China accounting for over two-thirds of the upward revision. In the last episode of the year, our AI Assistant Aria explains what lies ahead, and what could go wrong.

Read the full report here.

Aviation is one of the hardest sectors to decarbonize: Between 1970 and 2023, total carbon dioxide emissions from aviation increased by around 164%, reaching nearly 1 gigatonne, equivalent to about 2.5% of all human-made carbon dioxide emissions. Mitigating these emissions will require a mix of measures, covering technology, fuels, operations and policy, as our AI Assistant Aria explains in this episode.

Read the full report here

Since early 2025, the Trump administration’s sweeping import duties have reshaped global trade flows. But they haven’t triggered a surge in US insolvencies - for now. In this episode, we look at the outlook for business insolvencies in the US and around the world, and the looming risks, from the AI boom and slow growth to financial conditions and fiscal discipline. 

Read the full report here.