Featured Data Additions, September 18, 2026

ENERGY → Petroleum → Petroleum Product Prices Including Pump Prices → Myanmar

Fuel prices for Myanmar were added to the ENERGY database. Prices for 92 and 95 octane gasoline, diesel and premium diesel are available reported in kyat per liter for twenty cities across the country. Daily data are sourced from the Department of Consumer Affairs and start in August 2022.

Chart: Myanmar’s capital city experienced a massive fuel price surge in March 2026, with diesel prices increasing by 109% over the course of the month, while 95 octane gasoline rose by 97%. This was triggered by the Middle East conflict which disrupted global supplies and shipping routes Myanmar depends on. Ninety-five percent of fuel demand is met through imports, which means the country has almost no buffer against global shocks. Fuel prices have decreased since April peaks, but we have been seeing an upturn once again since late July.

EMERGELA → Argentina → Financial → Mortgage and Property Deeds

Property sale and mortgage deeds statistics for the city of Buenos Aires were added to EMERGELA. The table includes the number of deeds and associated values reported in millions of ARS for each. Monthly data are sourced from Instituto de Estadística y Censos de la Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires and start in January 2002.

Chart: Mortgage credit currently finances only 20% of real estate transactions in Buenos Aires – it was even lower prior to 2024. This is a sharp contrast to markets like in the US where 75% of property purchases are financed with a mortgage. Argentina's history of banking crises, currency devaluations, and deposit freezes created this cash-dominated market. The increase in mortgages after 2023 resulted from a combination of Milei's economic stabilization policies, structural changes in bank lending, inflation control, and new mortgage products designed to hedge against Argentina's persistent volatility.

EMERGEPR → South Korea → Employment and Earnings → Labor Underutilization Indicators

Labor underutilization indicators for South Korea were added to EMERGEPR. Adjusted and unadjusted series for time-related underemployment, potential labor force, extended labor force, unavailable jobseekers and available potential jobseekers are available in addition to labor underutilization indicators calculated from these metrics. Monthly data are sourced from the Ministry of Data and Statistics and start in January 2015.

Chart: South Korea's official unemployment rate has hovered around 2.8% since 2022. However, the LU3 (the broadest LU measure) runs three times higher – and currently sits at 8.4%. Youth is where the stress is concentrated, and it is diverging from the rest of the labor market. Youth employment has been on the decline since mid-2022 and is down 188,000 YoY to 3.39 million in July. The youth unemployment rate jumped from 5.6% to 6.9% YoY - a 1.3 ppt rise, the sharpest increase since May 2023. It has become enough of a political issue that the government recently unveiled a massive 43.3 trillion won youth employment policy package for 2027.