Before we begin, do take a look at the recommendations the Cuba Study Group published this week on how both Washington and Havana could better address the island’s deepening humanitarian crisis.
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This week’s issue opens with Quick Takes: ECLAC confirms Cuba will post Latin America’s worst economic performance in 2026, worse even than Haiti; annual inflation has jumped from 12% to nearly 21% in five months; Díaz-Canel meets with “representatives” of the island’s private sector; and two new decrees overhaul domestic trade rules and open more space for private businesses. In By the Numbers, we cross-reference satellite shipping data with official figures to trace a contraction in international trade that deepens sharply in 2026. In Deep turns to the most extensive interview Díaz-Canel has given on the government’s 176 economic measures, showing how treating market opening as a reversible concession drives up the cost of the long-term capital Cuba needs most. We close with Recommended Readings: an El País report on how Brazil has become Cubans’ new migration destination.
