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.
7,193 total articles
Data released by the Central Bank of Sri Lanka show both the services and manufacturing Purchasing Managers' Indexes (PMIs) slipped below the 50 threshold in April, signaling contraction. The services PMI fell to 46.7 from 59.4 in March, while the manufacturing PMI dropped to 42.6 from 66.7. Key subcomponents across the two surveys - including new …
UK government bond yields climbed sharply after Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham announced moves that make a leadership challenge possible, prompting traders to price in a premium for higher borrowing needs. The 30-year gilt yield jumped to 5.86%, its highest level since 1998, while the pound weakened amid worries about fiscal loosening, persistent in…
The U.S. State Department announced that Israel and Lebanon have consented to extend the cessation of hostilities declared on April 16 by 45 days. Talks held in Washington were characterized as productive, with delegations set to return to negotiations on June 2 and June 3, the department said. The meetings mark the third round since intensified ex…
The National Football League has asked the U.S. Commodities and Futures Trading Commission to impose stricter rules on sports-related prediction markets. In a letter from the NFL's senior vice president for government affairs and public policy to CFTC Chairman Michael Selig, the league recommended banning certain contract types, raising the minimum…
India raised export duties on petrol, diesel and aviation turbine fuel in a government statement late Friday. The move, announced one day after the first retail fuel price increase since the Iran war began, keeps domestic excise rates unchanged and follows the government’s fortnightly review process tied to average international fuel and crude pric…
Five sources say the U.S. is considering asking Israel to transfer some tax revenue it has withheld from the Palestinian Authority to President Trump’s Board of Peace to finance the U.S. post-war reconstruction plan for Gaza. The proposal remains under discussion, with details on amounts and mechanism not disclosed. Palestinian officials say Israel…
A board member of Colombia’s central bank, Bibiana Taboada, said the institution may be able to slow the speed of further interest-rate increases, asserting that the bulk of monetary tightening has already been implemented. The comment comes after an April unanimous decision to hold the policy rate at 11.25% amid political pressure surrounding the …
President Donald Trump said on Air Force One that Chinese President Xi Jinping appears to be giving serious consideration to releasing a detained pastor, but that the fate of jailed media tycoon Jimmy Lai presents greater resistance. Trump described his private exchanges with Xi and expressed pessimism after raising Lai's case.
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi announced that China and the United States have agreed to form a Board of Trade and a Board of Investment to deepen bilateral commerce. The initiative will tackle market access for agricultural goods and pursue expanded two-way trade via a reciprocal tariff reduction framework. Teams from both governments are consul…
Turkey has proposed constructing a $1.2 billion pipeline to deliver military fuel to NATO's eastern flank, routing through Bulgaria to Romania. The proposal, intended for presentation before the NATO summit Ankara will host in July, is framed as a lower-cost and less disruption-prone alternative to maritime routes through Greece or western neighbor…
Turkey has proposed constructing a $1.2 billion fuel pipeline to move military-grade fuel from Turkey to Romania through Bulgaria. The route, intended solely for NATO military use, is being advanced as a cheaper and potentially more resilient alternative to maritime options and is expected to be brought forward ahead of the NATO summit Turkey will …
Bank of America economists say the U.S. economy could still head toward stagflation or reflation as persistent inflation and mixed growth signals collide. Strong consumer spending and corporate earnings point to reflation, but hotter-than-expected April inflation and fading fiscal support leave risks elevated. BofA has pushed out its forecast for t…
China's foreign minister confirmed that President Xi Jinping will travel to the United States in autumn, while Beijing and Washington agreed to create trade and investment councils and to pursue steps to expand two-way commerce, including reciprocal tariff reductions and measures on agricultural products. Taiwan was identified by China as the most …
Global equity funds recorded their eighth straight week of net inflows through May 13, drawing $39.15 billion as enthusiasm around AI-related technology stocks and optimistic chipmaker outlooks outweighed inflation worries. The MSCI World Index reached a record 1,117.52 after forecasts of robust data-center chip demand, while bond funds also saw su…
Panama Canal officials said vessel passage limits will not be introduced for the remainder of 2026 even if the forecasted El Niño brings drought to Central America in the second half of the year. The canal currently allows 38 transits per day and has observed rising passage demand in recent months. Authorities report ongoing weather monitoring and …
Morgan Stanley expects the Federal Reserve to maintain its current policy rate through the remainder of 2026 and anticipate a slow easing cycle beginning in 2027. The bank's mid-year view hinges on two dynamics: a retreat in tariff pass-through into goods prices and only modest spillovers from higher oil into core inflation. Business investment, in…
U.S. Energy Secretary Chris Wright said he expects China to buy more U.S. crude following supply disruptions tied to recent U.S.-Israeli strikes on Iran. Wright highlighted rising interest from Asian buyers in Alaskan shipments and confirmed that U.S. diesel exports will continue amid the market adjustments.
Brazil’s services sector contracted 1.2% in March from February, led by a pronounced fall in transportation activity, according to IBGE data released May 15. The monthly decline was worse than the 0.1% drop economists had forecast, and all five subgroups measured by the statistics agency recorded contractions. On a year-on-year basis services outpu…
Longer-dated U.S. Treasury yields climbed to May 2025 highs on Friday after oil prices rose and inflation data showed a marked pickup in April. The move reflected investor concern that Middle East energy disruptions could intensify inflation pressures already visible in recent consumer and producer price prints.
President Bola Tinubu said he will not roll back economic reforms instituted since taking office in 2023, rejecting suggestions that political dynamics ahead of January elections would force a policy U-turn. Speaking at the Africa CEO Forum, Tinubu defended the removal of fuel subsidies and the liberalization of the naira as difficult but necessary…
President Donald Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One that American farmers should be pleased with trade outcomes from his state visit to Beijing, saying China will be buying "billions of dollars" of soybeans. U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer qualified the expectation as "double-digit billions" in U.S. agricultural purchases over the n…
The National Bank of Romania maintained its benchmark interest rate at 6.5%, the highest in the European Union, as the country confronts double-digit inflation and a worsening recession. The central bank adopted an updated inflation forecast that points to stronger-than-expected inflation in the second quarter - driven by fuel price rises and gover…
President Donald Trump told reporters he made no commitment to Chinese President Xi Jinping on the Taiwan issue during his visit to China and that he will soon decide on a pending $14 billion arms sale to Taiwan. Trump said U.S. policy toward Taiwan remains unchanged and that he has not approved weapons for the island. His comments follow a warning…
Speaking at the Lithuania-Finland Business Forum in Vilnius, Finnish President Alexander Stubb argued the United States will retain its NATO presence because of strategic interests in Europe, pointing to the proximity of Russian nuclear forces. His comments came alongside remarks from Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda and after reports of recent…
Minutes from the Czech National Bank's May policy meeting show unanimous support to keep the two-week repo rate at 3.50% while flagging a willingness to raise rates should the ongoing Middle East conflict drive sustained core inflation or broader second-round effects. Board members differed on the immediacy of a response but repeatedly noted centra…
