Macroeconomic data, trends, and policy developments.
Coverage of key economic indicators, central bank policy decisions, inflation trends, labor data, and growth signals. This category focuses on the macroeconomic forces that shape markets, interest rates, and long-term capital allocation.
2,636 total articles
Global equity markets that were open ticked higher on Easter Monday as investors largely shrugged off escalating U.S. rhetoric toward Iran and a further jump in oil prices. Market participants cited resilience in early March U.S. data, modest moves in bond yields, and selective sector strength even as energy costs and regional tensions remain sourc…
The managing director of the International Monetary Fund said the conflict in the Middle East will produce higher inflation and slower global growth, derailing a small upward revision the fund had anticipated for 2026-27. Even a quick end to hostilities would still leave the IMF revising growth downward and inflation upward, while a prolonged war w…
Budget documents released by the White House lay out a plan to reduce the Transportation Security Administration's headcount by over 9,400 employees and to remove just over $1.5 billion from the agency's budget. The proposal would require smaller airports to replace TSA personnel with private security contractors and would further shrink staff thro…
Cleveland Fed President Beth Hammack and Chicago Fed President Austan Goolsbee signaled that inflation is a larger immediate concern than the labor market, endorsing tighter monetary policy as energy prices climb due to the Iran war. Using a four-color assessment scale in a joint interview, both officials placed inflation in the orange-to-red zone …
Chicago Fed President Austan Goolsbee and Cleveland Fed President Beth Hammack described inflation as a more acute problem than employment in a joint interview, using a four-color risk scale to convey that inflation is at least 'orange' and possibly shifting toward 'red' amid rising gasoline prices and other price pressures. Both signaled preferenc…
Most Latin American currencies strengthened on Monday as reports of a proposed ceasefire framework between the U.S. and Iran briefly lifted global risk sentiment following a holiday lull. The initial optimism weakened after Iran’s official news agency said Tehran rejected the ceasefire proposal, demanding a permanent end to hostilities. Regional eq…
The Federal Reserve Bank of New York reported a rise in its Global Supply Chain Pressure Index for March, climbing to 0.68 from February's 0.54. The bank did not provide an explanation for the increase, though the release notes a likely connection to disruptions tied to the war in the Middle East that was started by the U.S.-Israeli attacks on Iran…
Barings has restricted redemptions at one of its private credit vehicles to 5% of outstanding shares after investors sought to withdraw 11.3% in the first quarter, according to a regulatory filing. The asset manager accepted about 44.3% of the shares tendered on a pro-rata basis. The move comes amid broader elevated redemption activity in private c…
A political analyst at Wolfe Research expressed doubt that a diplomatic settlement with Iran is near, suggesting President Trump’s public confidence may be rooted more in a theory that sustained military pressure will compel Tehran to capitulate than in concrete progress at the negotiating table. The comments arrive as the U.S. again approached a d…
JPMorgan Chase & Co. Chief Executive Jamie Dimon said in his annual shareholder letter that the United States must strengthen its economic and military foundations, and outlined plans to deploy more than $1 trillion toward that objective. The 48-page letter devotes its largest section to global risks and U.S. competitiveness, while also addressing …
A European Central Bank policymaker warned that the stance of euro zone monetary policy will be conditioned by how supply disruptions tied to the Iran conflict affect energy prices. If the rise in energy costs proves fleeting, policy change needs will be limited; persistent upward pressure that influences medium-term inflation expectations and wage…
JPMorgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon says the ongoing conflict involving Iran threatens to produce prolonged spikes in oil and commodity prices that could make inflation more persistent and push interest rates above current market expectations. In his annual shareholder letter, Dimon also judged the private credit market unlikely to be a systemic risk wh…
The Trump administration has filed an emergency motion asking a federal appeals court to set aside a district judge’s order that stopped construction on a new White House ballroom. The motion contends that the pause creates security vulnerabilities for the White House, the President, his family and staff, and reiterates legal defenses against a non…
Global equity funds attracted a net $15.02 billion in the March 26-April 1 period, marking a second straight week of inflows. The movement came alongside sizeable rotations out of bond and money market funds and continued withdrawals from emerging market assets, according to combined fund data covering 28,838 funds.
U.S. index futures moved modestly higher as investors weighed reports of a proposed framework to halt hostilities in Iran and reopen the Strait of Hormuz against new fighting and a tightened ultimatum from President Trump. Oil and gold prices swung sharply during the session as markets parsed the possibility of a ceasefire and continued military es…
Iranian state media said Maj. Gen. Majid Khademi, chief of intelligence for the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, has died. Subsequent reports said he was killed in an attack that the Guard attributed to the United States and Israel. The announcement coincides with multiple airstrikes around Tehran, missile fire toward Israel, and international ai…
Pakistan has circulated a two-stage framework to Iran and the United States intended to end hostilities and reopen the Strait of Hormuz. The proposal, which could take effect as early as Monday, calls for an immediate ceasefire and a subsequent comprehensive agreement to be negotiated and finalized, with Pakistan acting as the primary communication…
India's services sector expanded at its weakest rate in 14 months in March, according to the final HSBC India Services PMI compiled by S&P Global. The index slipped to 57.5 from February's 58.1, while new business growth cooled, input costs accelerated sharply and foreign orders rose to near-record levels. The slowdown in services, together with sl…
India's central bank is widely expected to leave the policy repo rate unchanged as it weighs the economic fallout from the Iran war, which has strained the rupee and pushed bond yields higher. Officials are likely to emphasize measures to calm markets - including liquidity injections, bond purchases and foreign-exchange operations - while revising …
Four U.S., Israeli and regional sources familiar with the talks say negotiators from Pakistan, Egypt and Turkey, together with U.S. envoys and Iranian officials, are discussing a phased 45-day ceasefire intended to create space for a lasting end to hostilities. The initiative faces tight time constraints and carries risks of escalation if talks sta…
The U.S. dollar remained steady while the Japanese yen hovered close to the psychologically important 160-per-dollar mark as traders digested a new ultimatum from U.S. President Donald Trump demanding the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz. Thin holiday liquidity in Asia and Europe coincided with risk-off sentiment after Trump threatened targeted st…
Agilian Technology, a $30 million-a-year electronics maker based in Dongguan, weathered a tumultuous 2025 in which U.S. tariffs froze orders and pushed clients to demand production outside China. The company pursued alternative sites in Malaysia and India, but found those options slower and less complete than its China base. A combination of Beijin…
The White House submitted a fiscal 2027 budget request calling for a $500 billion increase in military spending and a 10% reduction in non-defense federal programs. The plan would raise defense outlays to $1.5 trillion, fund pay raises for service members, and back large investments in shipbuilding and missile defense while proposing steep cuts to …
Iran rejected U.S. threats to strike its infrastructure and set a new condition for reopening the Strait of Hormuz: part of transit revenues must go toward compensating Iran for war-related damages. Tehran also warned the conflict could spread to the Bab el-Mandeb Strait in the Red Sea, a chokepoint handling roughly 12% of global trade, raising fur…
Japan’s equity market is drawing renewed investor interest as corporate governance reforms, improvements in earnings quality, supportive currency dynamics and strong links to global industrial and technology cycles combine to create a more durable investment case. While risks from softer external demand and policy shifts remain, these structural sh…
