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.
7,101 total articles
The European Commission has opened a formal investigation into an arbitration award that led Spain to pay €23.5 million ($27.04 million) to Japanese firm JGC Holdings. The probe will determine whether the payment, which arose from alterations to a 2007 renewable power support scheme and was paid to a U.S. fund holding the award, breaches EU state a…
Bank of Japan data on money market projections and current account balances suggested Tokyo may not have intervened in currency markets on Monday, even though the yen jumped to its strongest level in about three months. The BOJ's projection for Wednesday showed a funding shortfall larger than broker forecasts, and central bank account flows for Tue…
U.S. equity futures moved higher as markets digested a mixed outlook for a potential de-escalation in the Iran conflict and a fresh wave of corporate earnings. Investors took heart from comments that talks with Tehran may have resumed and from a weekend decision to call off strikes, yet Iranian officials denied negotiations were under way. Robust q…
Minutes from the Bank of Korea's July 16 meeting show board members agreed to raise interest rates and discussed the timing and pace of additional tightening. Some members advocated a preemptive stance to secure price stability, while others urged a careful reassessment of growth and inflation projections as new data arrived. Recent inflation data …
A former Bank of Japan official directly involved in past market operations warned that Japan and the United States are prepared to repeat joint intervention if the yen resumes a fresh downtrend. He said the recent rare coordinated yen-buying operation successfully altered market perceptions, and that the U.S. backing gives Tokyo freedom to act aga…
The Indian government intends to seek parliamentary approval for a package of tax measures designed to draw foreign investment and reinforce domestic manufacturing capacity. Proposed legislation would formalize tax exemptions for foreign buyers of Indian government bonds, protect offshore funds from tax where management is India-based, and extend t…
July advertising data from ANZ-Indeed indicates a 0.8 percent monthly increase in job postings, counterbalancing June's minor decline. The labor market continues to show resilience amid the Reserve Bank of Australia's rate hikes, with management and healthcare roles leading occupational expansion while unemployment remains steady.
The Japanese yen maintained much of its recent strength following coordinated intervention efforts by Japanese and American authorities. Currency markets are now closely monitoring Federal Reserve policy expectations, upcoming labor reports, and potential diplomatic developments that could further influence capital flows and exchange rate trajector…
The U.S. Treasury raised its estimate for third-quarter borrowing to $739 billion, $68 billion above its May projection, with a larger opening cash balance tempering but not eliminating the increase. The department also outlined fourth-quarter and second-quarter cash and borrowing figures, and signaled it will publish detailed refunding plans, incl…
A Federal Reserve Senior Loan Officer Survey for July reported largely unchanged lending standards for commercial and industrial (C&I) loans during roughly the second quarter, while demand patterns diverged across firm sizes and consumer loan types. Banks cited stronger C&I loan demand from large and middle market firms, mixed lending standards for…
Citadel Securities cautions that Federal Reserve Chair Kevin Warsh’s repeated vows to tackle persistent inflation, combined with limited detail on how the central bank will act, are generating uncertainty among investors. The firm says reliance on market moves to tighten financial conditions could create a feedback loop that ultimately undermines c…
Euro zone government bond yields eased on Monday after oil prices declined following remarks by U.S. President Donald Trump about imminent talks with Iran concerning the Strait of Hormuz. The move lowered inflation expectations and pulled short- and long-term German yields down, cutting back some market bets on further European Central Bank tighten…
U.S. construction spending edged down 0.1% in June, driven largely by weaker residential outlays as higher mortgage rates damp demand for new single-family homes. On a year-over-year basis spending was 3.2% lower. Public projects held steady while private nonresidential investment showed a small uptick, even as factory-related spending fell.
Japan confirmed it took part in yen-buying market intervention on Friday with assistance from the U.S. Treasury. Market participants say the U.S. bought yen using euros rather than dollars, a tactic analysts call highly unusual. Authorities appear intent on strengthening the yen without signaling a desire for a weaker dollar, a stance shaped by U.S…
U.S. manufacturing expanded in July to its strongest pace since May 2022, according to the Institute for Supply Management. A surge in orders and a rebound in factory hiring pushed the PMI to 55.6, while slower supplier deliveries and persistently high prices for inputs highlighted ongoing supply-chain and inflationary pressures tied to the Middle …
A recent analyst poll finds Brazil's central bank is expected to trim its benchmark Selic rate by 25 basis points at its August 5 meeting, marking a fourth consecutive reduction. While the committee has moved cautiously this year, persistent inflation pressures and fiscal constraints are likely to limit how quickly rates are eased further, and offi…
Long-term U.S. Treasury yields climbed sharply last week after remarks by Federal Reserve Governor Kevin Warsh, triggering a bear steepening of the yield curve and renewed concerns about inflationary pressures. Analysts at Wolfe Research warned that the move in the long end of the curve is both a symptom and an amplifier of the United States' chall…
A recent BTG Pactual/Nexus poll published today finds President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva leading challenger Flávio Bolsonaro by a single percentage point in a head-to-head runoff scenario. The survey places Lula at 46% and Bolsonaro at 45%, a narrowing from the same poll's late July results and within its stated margin of error.
A recent Nexus/BTG Pactual poll finds President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva and Senator Flavio Bolsonaro virtually tied as Brazil moves toward the October presidential election. In a hypothetical second-round runoff Lula holds 46% to Bolsonaro's 45%, while first-round figures show Lula at 41% and Bolsonaro at 37%. The survey of 2,002 respondents was …
Japan and the United States carried out coordinated yen-buying intervention last week, a rare joint action intended to blunt rapid falls in the currency. The intervention produced a sizeable short-covering reaction and pushed the yen higher to about 155.20 per dollar, yet analysts warn that without faster Bank of Japan rate hikes the gains are like…
Bank Indonesia's acting governor said a recent policy package is meant to deter commercial banks from treating BI's rupiah securities as investment vehicles and to encourage greater lending. The comments came at a Financial System Stability Board press event following the central bank governor's surprise resignation and measures to alter reserve re…
Germany's financial regulator BaFin has ordered NordLB to overhaul its customer data after identifying violations of the country's Money Laundering Act. The regulator cited process flaws and a significant backlog in updating customer information and required the bank to submit and implement a corrective plan. The order became legally binding on Jun…
The crypto industry has directed substantial financial resources toward the November midterm elections, spending roughly $189 million this cycle and leveraging a major super PAC network to back candidates perceived as favorable to digital-asset legislation. Lawmakers are under pressure to act on both the narrower Genius Act for stablecoins and the …
U.S. stock-index futures climbed on Monday after signs of easing tensions in the Middle East weighed on crude prices. Investors are also parsing preliminary merger discussions in the healthcare sector and preparing for a dense calendar of corporate earnings and economic data, including a slate of AI-linked company reports and Friday’s U.S. non-farm…
John Williams, president of the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, told Reuters in an interview published Monday that the Fed will raise interest rates if required to bring inflation back to its 2% objective. He said he expects inflationary pressures to ease if energy prices and trade tariffs have peaked and described current policy as "well positio…
