![The United States economy grew 6.4 percent in the first quarter of 2021 on an annual basis, as consumers came out of hibernation with a ton of stimulus money to spend [File: Adrees Latif/Reuters]](/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/gucci.jpg?resize=270%2C180)
THE WEEK IN NUMBERS
UBI in Brazil, Biden’s latest tax hike, and China’s space station
We gather the numbers to know from the week’s biggest economic and business news stories.
![Over 550 SPACs have filed to go public on United States exchanges in the year to date, seeking to raise $162bn, according to Bloomberg data [File: Spencer Platt/Getty Images]](/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/wall-street.jpg?resize=270%2C180)
On Tuesday, SPACS hit another milestone with Singapore’s Grab agreeing to the biggest blank-cheque deal on record.
![Having political will and solidarity among countries is critical to ensure that all people get a fair shot at a coronavirus vaccine, the World Bank and World Health Organization said on Friday [File: Mohammad Ponir Hossain/Reuters]](/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/bangladesh.jpg?resize=270%2C180)
Even after vaccinations are widespread, a small COVID outbreak anywhere can jeopardise economic gains, officials warned.
![Jerome Powell, the chairman of the United States Federal Reserve, said that the recovery in the US remains uneven and incomplete, with much of the burden still falling on lower-income workers [File: Stefani Reynolds/Bloomberg]](/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/powell.jpg?resize=270%2C180)
The US Federal Reserve chairman expressed concern about an ‘uneven’ US and global recovery at an IMF debate on Thursday.
![International Monetary Fund (IMF) Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva said on Wednesday that while the global economy is on better footing than last year, looming uncertainties and inequalities pose a real risk to recoveries [File: Mike Theiler/Reuters]](/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/kristina.jpg?resize=270%2C180)
Both the IMF managing director and World Bank president warned of growing global economic inequality on Wednesday.
![The International Monetary Fund forecasts a better year for global economic growth mainly driven by a sizable recovery in the United States, where it expects to see growth of 6.4 percent in 2021 [File: Emily Elconin/Reuters]](/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/ann.jpg?resize=270%2C180)
The IMF’s chief economist urged governments to continue fiscal support and ensure that vaccines are available to all.
![United States Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said on Monday that a minimum global corporate tax rate will help ensure that everyone pays their share in funding public projects, but critics of the proposal argue that the burden of higher taxes will fall mostly on workers and only drive away corporations and investment [File: Andrew Harrer/Bloomberg]](/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/yellen.jpg?resize=270%2C180)
The US Treasury secretary says a global minimum corporate tax rate will ensure firms pay up, but critics voice concerns.
![The United Arab Emirates, along with Togo, Serbia, Lithuania and Timor-Leste, are at the top of the list for making the most progress in narrowing the gender gap, according to a new report from the World Economic Forum [File: Christopher Pike/Reuters]](/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/covid-1.jpg?resize=270%2C180)
Women have to wait 135.6 years – up from 99.5 in 2020 – to be on equal footing with men, the World Economic Forum warns.
![An activist in opposition to the death penalty protests during a snowstorm in Indiana, the United States, where public support for capital punishment is at its lowest since 1972, according to a recent Gallup poll [File: Bryan Woolston/Reuters]](/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/deathpen-1.jpg?resize=270%2C180)
Twenty-one industry titans from around the world signed a declaration demanding an end to capital punishment.
![A Syrian refugee woman holds her child as she crosses from Syria into Jordan, which is one of the countries - along with Turkey, Lebanon, Iraq and Egypt - hosting 5.6 million Syrian refugees registered with the United Nations [File: Muhammad Hamed/Reuters]](/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/mom-1.jpg?resize=270%2C180)
Ten years since the war began, Syrians still struggle to make ends meet as their host nations tackle new economic woes.