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.
2,702 total articles
A sudden escalation in Middle East tensions has produced a sharp global energy shock. Brent crude jumped past $100 at the open and reached $119.50, a surge that has lifted the benchmark some 60% since President Trump ordered the attack on Iran. The rout in energy supply is reverberating across equities, bond markets and commodity-linked sectors as …
A Reuters poll of 23 economists indicates China’s goods exports likely strengthened in the combined January-February period, with median forecasts pointing to a 7.1% year-on-year rise in U.S. dollar terms and a sizable trade surplus. The projected acceleration from December’s 6.6% gain, paired with imports that are also expected to increase, sugges…
Tokyo and Washington are exploring a proposal to establish a display-manufacturing facility in the United States in collaboration with Japan Display. The project is being considered as an element of Japan's planned $550 billion investment package and aims to shore up U.S. capabilities for display technologies used in military systems, amid intense …
A monthly recruitment survey covering around 400 UK agencies recorded the slowest decline in starting pay for permanent roles since October and an uptick in permanent staff placements to their highest level in almost three years, while temporary hiring and some other gauges remain below the expansion threshold.
Indonesia’s finance minister, Purbaya Yudhi Sadewa, has stood by an assertive set of fiscal measures that depart from the country’s recent tradition of conservative budgeting. Facing investor unease and a downgrade of the sovereign outlook to negative, he argues the policies are designed to boost credit and growth and says data will vindicate his a…
Japan recorded a 1.4% year-on-year rise in real wages in January, the first increase in 13 months, driven by a 3.0% gain in average nominal pay and the slowest consumer inflation reading used to calculate real wages since March 2022. The data bolsters arguments for further Bank of Japan rate hikes ahead of its March 18-19 policy review, though poli…
The U.S. dollar climbed to multi-month highs on Monday as escalating conflict in the Middle East pushed oil above $100 a barrel, prompted broad asset sell-offs and drove investors into perceived safe havens. Major currencies including the euro, sterling and commodity-linked currencies weakened, while crude benchmarks topped $108 a barrel, spotlight…
A Bernstein report outlines how artificial intelligence and upgraded property systems could let hotels offer hyper-personalized stays by automating guest choices and coordinating services. Achieving this will require hotels to move from type-based room inventories to attribute-driven systems, and may shift distribution dynamics in favor of direct b…
UBS projects that analog and power semiconductors will capture growing demand as artificial intelligence server deployments sharply increase electricity consumption in data centers. The bank forecasts a rapid expansion in the market for AI data center power semiconductors from about $1.5 billion in 2025 to $2.5 billion in 2026 and roughly $3.8 bill…
U.S. officials are considering the deployment of special operations forces to seize Iran's stock of near-weapons-grade uranium, diplomatic sources familiar with the discussions say. The option has been briefed to President Donald Trump as uncertainty grows over the whereabouts of about 441 kilograms of highly enriched uranium last recorded by inter…
U.S. Energy Secretary Chris Wright told CNN that the recent spike in oil prices is driven by a temporary 'fear premium' related to the conflict involving the United States, Israel and Iran, and said global oil and natural gas supplies remain adequate. He predicted the market response will ease once shipping through the Strait of Hormuz returns to n…
A recent stoppage of key Qatari LNG shipments and disruptions near the Strait of Hormuz have tightened the global gas market, lifting prices and testing Europe’s ability to replace lost pipeline supplies. The United States has stepped up as a major LNG exporter, but its terminals are operating near capacity. Analysts say the U.S. can redirect cargo…
Global markets entered a volatile stretch as a U.S.-Israeli campaign against Iran entered its seventh day, driving oil prices higher and pushing key equity benchmarks lower. The escalation has disrupted shipping through the Strait of Hormuz and lifted Brent crude above $90 a barrel. At the same time, fresh U.S. data on jobs and an upcoming consumer…
Iraq’s oil production has fallen to roughly 1.7-1.8 million barrels per day from about 4.3 million bpd as tanker availability and export routes through the Strait of Hormuz are disrupted. The drop reflects a regional logistical bottleneck that has forced producers to curtail flows and store excess crude as storage capacity diminishes.
BTIG strategist Jonathan Krinsky said that a sharper pullback in the S&P 500 toward its 200-day moving average could present an attractive buying opportunity, even as elevated macro risks persist. Krinsky noted the index has held near the 6,700 level despite a sharp rise in oil prices and weaker-than-expected economic data. He warned that widening …
Adam Smith's 'Wealth of Nations' reaches its 250th anniversary on March 9. The text remains central to debates on free trade, monopolies and production methods, and is frequently cited for its observations on self-interest, government, taxation and social inequality. Below are selected, widely cited passages from the book.
Adam Smith’s An Inquiry into the Nature and Causes of the Wealth of Nations, first published on March 9, 1776, continues to surface in contemporary policy debates over trade, taxation and monopolies. While Smith is widely invoked as the architect of free-market thinking - notably through his 'invisible hand' metaphor - close readings of his text sh…
South Korea's Industry Minister Kim Jung-kwan said on March 8 that the United States is unlikely to impose higher tariffs on South Korean imports if Seoul's parliament moves quickly to enact investment legislation tied to a bilateral trade agreement. The statement followed a meeting with U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick and comes after U.S. t…
Taiwan’s Premier Cho Jung-tai made the first openly public visit by a Taiwanese premier to Japan since 1972, attending a baseball game between Taiwan and the Czech Republic in Tokyo. The trip - described by Cho as a personal visit - comes amid heightened regional friction after comments by Japan’s Prime Minister and follows prior diplomatic inciden…
Jefferies' equity strategy team warns that a prolonged period of elevated oil prices will put significant pressure on ASEAN economies, with the Philippines and Thailand singled out as the most vulnerable because of their dependence on energy imports. The note highlights diverging national responses - from subsidy cushions to state oil funds - and c…
Stifel strategists say recent coordinated U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iran and Tehran's effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz have moved the Middle East into a more volatile phase, driving sharp increases in energy prices and prompting market rotations toward value-oriented sectors. With Brent up 14% and European natural gas rising 70%, supply …
A classified National Intelligence Council assessment concludes a large-scale, U.S.-led military assault is unlikely to remove Iran's government or permit a rapid transfer of power. Finalized about a week after the Feb. 28 joint U.S.-Israeli strikes that killed Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the report undercuts public assertions that the c…
Wang Yi, China’s top diplomat, used his annual briefing at the National People’s Congress to call for an end to the Iran conflict and to press both Beijing and Washington to reduce frictions ahead of crucial trade and treasury talks in Paris and a planned summit in Beijing. His remarks stressed opposition to the use of force, warned against regime-…
China’s top diplomat, Foreign Minister Wang Yi, said sustained high-level engagement between Beijing and Washington is essential to avoid dangerous misreadings that could escalate into confrontation. His remarks came at a press conference during China’s annual parliamentary session ahead of a summit between President Xi Jinping and U.S. President D…
Australia is assessing a formal plea from Gulf states for defensive military assistance as Iranian drone and missile strikes threaten the Middle East energy hub. Foreign Minister Penny Wong said the government is deliberating the request and emphasized Australia will not participate in offensive operations or send ground forces into Iran. The decis…
