Trade Splaining is back! After a summer break (and one new baby later), Ardi and Rob return to make sense of what’s changed — and what hasn’t — in global trade, business, and expat life. From the latest round of tariffs and China’s “pivot” away from developing-country status at the WTO, to why AI might be the next big trade disruptor, we break down the stories shaping the global economy in 2025.

We’re also joined by Neil Shearing, Chief Economist at Capital Economics and author of The Fractured Age, to unpack how geopolitical rivalries are reshaping globalization — or maybe just rearranging it.

In This Episode:

🎵 Why global trade sounds like a Kelly Clarkson song

🇨🇳 China’s slowdown vs. export boom — and what Michael Pettis got right

💸 Why tariffs haven’t been inflationary (yet)

🧠 How AI is quietly rewriting the rules of services trade

🌍 Neil Shearing on the U.S.–China split, Europe’s role, and who wins in a fractured world

🕰️ Plus: Swiss MAGA farmers, salmon sperm facials as recession indicators, and the new rock-solid watch from Tissot

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