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.
6,581 total articles
Stocks rallied to fresh highs on a wave of AI optimism supported by strong corporate results, lower oil prices and easing Middle East tensions. The advance was broad-based, led by technology and semiconductors, even as long-term government bond yields rose and inflation breakevens signalled persistent price pressures.
The U.S. Trade Representative has opened a four-day Section 301 hearing into excess industrial capacity among 16 major trading partners. Domestic manufacturers urged higher duties to counter rising exports from countries with spare factory capacity, while import-dependent sectors and farm groups urged restraint. Testimony from nearly 150 representa…
JPMorgan Chase strategists warn that New York City now faces an elevated probability of a credit rating downgrade after New York State signaled it is unlikely to approve significant personal and corporate tax hikes. The bank's report highlights constrained revenue options for the city as it confronts an estimated $5.4 billion two-year budget shortf…
Senate Republican leaders have proposed directing $1 billion in taxpayer funds to the U.S. Secret Service this year to finance security improvements that would cover upgrades to the White House ballroom, a project President Trump has said would be paid for by private donations. The broader measure, part of an almost $72 billion package to fund Immi…
President Donald Trump said he will bring up the war in Iran when he meets Chinese President Xi Jinping at a summit next week, and characterized Xi's handling of the issue as respectful and non-confrontational. Trump noted that Beijing purchases substantial volumes of Iranian oil, supplies that have been interrupted by the conflict. The meeting, se…
The European Commission urged the United States to restore the tariff framework agreed in last year’s EU-US trade deal before the pact’s one-year mark at the end of July. In a Paris meeting, EU official Maros Sefcovic and U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer discussed outstanding issues including U.S. threats to raise car and truck tariffs to 2…
Francois Villeroy de Galhau, an outgoing member of the European Central Bank's Governing Council, said the bank does not currently see clear evidence that rising oil prices have produced inflationary effects broad or durable enough to merit higher interest rates. He reiterated that the ECB would act if second-round effects emerged, and noted he wil…
Peter Magyar, Hungary's incoming prime minister, warned that the country's budget deficit is expected to reach 6.8% of gross domestic product this year, a figure well above the government's earlier targets. Magyar said his party uncovered a government decree suggesting the current cabinet plans to empty public funds ahead of the transfer of power, …
JPMorgan reported that April proved a difficult month for dealmaking as clients put transactions on hold because of geopolitical uncertainty tied to the Iran war. Anu Aiyengar, the bank’s global head of advisory and M&A, said the environment produced a stop-and-start pattern and that the market is favoring larger transactions, with deals under $2 b…
Federal Reserve Vice Chair for Supervision Michelle Bowman warned Tuesday that consumer fraud and scams are an escalating threat to the financial system, noting that almost every case involves a bank account or a payment linked to one. She said regulators are weighing stronger measures as banks increase investments in security and consumer educatio…
Wolfe Research analyst Tobin Marcus says tax provisions in the One Big Beautiful Bill give the economy a modest tailwind for 2026 but fall short of producing the broad-based stimulus-fueled boom the Administration described. Household tax refunds are tracking close to Wolfe's $111 billion estimate, yet much of the benefit has gone to higher-income …
Satellite analysis from a maritime monitoring firm indicates that a very large crude carrier sailing under Iran's flag appears to have surfaced off Bali after months without entries on commercial tracking systems. The vessel had been observed near an Iranian port just hours before the U.S. enforcement operation in the Gulf of Oman began on April 13…
The unemployment rate for Americans aged 22 to 27 holding bachelor’s degrees remained at 5.6% in March, the same level recorded in December, according to the New York Federal Reserve. The first quarter of 2026 saw a decline in underemployment for this group to 41.5%, while unemployment for similarly aged workers without four-year degrees fell to 7.…
Job openings in the United States eased in March even as employers increased hiring sharply, according to the Labor Department's JOLTS report. Openings fell by 56,000 to 6.866 million, while hires rose by 655,000 to 5.554 million. Layoffs and discharges also increased, and economists point to geopolitical disruptions and commodity price pressures a…
France has convened an online meeting of G7 ministers to address global dependence on China for critical minerals and to present a national plan to rebuild a full rare-earths and permanent magnets supply chain. Finance Minister Roland Lescure said the session is a preparatory step for a mid-June G7 leaders' summit in Evian and described measures Fr…
The Securities and Exchange Commission is drafting rules to roll back a 2024 climate-related disclosure requirement designed to give investors information on companies' climate spending, emissions and risks. The action follows the agency's earlier decision not to defend the rule in court and comes amid an administration intent on undoing prior clim…
The U.S. employment report due later this week is being watched as a pivotal signal for Federal Reserve policy. Strong economic readings and concerns about inflation tied to the war with Iran have pushed markets to expect no rate moves this year. A clear, sustained weakening in the labor market would be required to revive serious consideration of c…
Saudi Arabia recorded a budget deficit of 125.7 billion riyals ($33.5 billion) in the first quarter of 2026, the finance ministry said Tuesday. The gap was driven by a 20% increase in government spending to 386.7 billion riyals while total revenues slipped to 261.0 billion riyals. Oil receipts fell 3% year-on-year to 144.7 billion riyals as non-oil…
BRASILIA, May 5 - The Central Bank of Brazil debated shifting its assessment of the balance of inflation risks but ultimately kept that assessment unchanged, even as the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran has pushed inflation expectations higher. The bank trimmed its policy rate by 25 basis points to 14.5% for a second consecutive meeting, while minutes from…
Minutes from the central bank's April 29 meeting show policymakers view the Middle East conflict and stronger domestic demand as ongoing inflation drivers. While the board approved a quarter-point cut to the Selic rate to 14.5%, members stressed the need for a restrictive stance to counter deanchoring of expectations and second-round effects from h…
Canada moved to a merchandise trade surplus of C$1.78 billion in March, reversing a C$5.11 billion deficit in February. The shift was led by stronger energy receipts amid higher crude prices and a surge in metal and non-metallic product exports, while overall imports declined.The gain represented the first monthly surplus in six months and exceeded…
RadixArk has raised $100 million in a seed round at a $400 million valuation to advance software that reduces the compute required to run AI models. The round was led by Accel and Spark Capital, with participation from Nvidia’s NVentures, Broadcom CEO Hock Tan, and others. RadixArk's open-source engine, SGLang, operates as a middle layer leveraging…
Mozambique’s prolonged economic difficulties have intensified recently as an Islamist insurgency, post-election unrest and financing strains have combined to raise the prospect of a sovereign debt restructuring. The International Monetary Fund reclassified the country’s debt as unsustainable, arrears to creditors have accumulated, and market indica…
Long-dated UK government bond yields climbed to their highest point in almost three decades as traders increased bets on additional Bank of England rate rises. The 30-year gilt yield rose 11 basis points to 5.76% as trading resumed after a public holiday, with heightened Middle East tensions and firmer oil prices contributing to the move. Interest …
Romania's minority administration lost a no-confidence vote in parliament, toppling Prime Minister Ilie Bolojan's government and introducing political uncertainty that could stall efforts to reduce the European Union's largest budget deficit. The motion was filed by the Social Democrats, who exited the coalition last month over unpopular fiscal cut…
