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.
909 total articles
Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s decisive electoral victory has amplified her ability to pursue a reflationary economic agenda focused on higher investment and lower taxes. That policy tilt increases political pressure to keep interest rates low, and may shape nominations to the Bank of Japan board. Still, persistent downside in the yen and…
Cleveland Federal Reserve President Beth Hammack said Wednesday that current interest rates are not exerting significant restraint on the U.S. economy, while warning that inflation continues to be too high. Speaking in Columbus, Ohio, she described the labor market as stabilizing and recommended the Fed keep policy on hold as policymakers assess in…
Federal Reserve Governor Stephen Miran said he would be "very happy" to remain on the Fed's Board of Governors if asked to continue, while stressing that any extension is not his decision. He currently occupies a seat with an expired term, leaving that position as the only board seat for which President Donald Trump could nominate former Fed Govern…
Anthropic announced steps to prevent the expenses associated with tying new AI data centers to power grids from being passed on to consumers. The company will pay for all grid upgrades required to connect its facilities by raising its own monthly electricity charges, and it pledged to bring new generation and add grid capacity rather than relying o…
ANZ Group reported a 17% increase in cash profit in the first quarter versus the second-half FY25 quarterly average excluding significant items, driven by lower operating costs, firmer revenue and improved cash returns on equity. The bank posted A$1.94 billion in cash profit and A$1.87 billion in statutory profit for the three months to December 31…
New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani urged a 2% personal income tax increase on residents earning more than $1 million a year and repeated his push to raise the state corporate tax rate, proposals he originally advanced during his campaign. Speaking at the New York State Senate's 2026 budget hearing, Mamdani said the city's budget gap has narrowed fr…
Elon Musk said xAI recently carried out a reorganization that led to staff reductions, a move he framed as necessary to improve execution speed. The personnel changes take place as SpaceX moves to acquire xAI, creating a combined entity valued at $1.25 trillion that plans to pursue a public listing later in 2026 to help finance data center deployme…
The Bank of Canada left its policy rate at 2.25% following a January 28 meeting, citing a more turbulent international environment driven by unpredictable U.S. trade actions, heightened geopolitical tensions and threats to central bank independence. Domestic conditions show softer labour markets and weak business investment, prompting officials to …
The United States will resume paying at least part of what it owes the United Nations in the coming weeks while maintaining pressure for organizational reforms, the U.S. ambassador to the U.N. said in Geneva. The move follows a year of withdrawals from U.N. entities and large cuts to voluntary funding under the Trump administration, leaving the U.S…
The Federal Reserve is conducting a comprehensive review of all 'matters requiring attention' (MRAs) previously issued by bank examiners to determine whether they meet a tighter standard centered on material financial risk. The effort, part of a broader revamp of supervision, may reclassify some MRAs as non-binding observations and sets timelines f…
U.S. defense officials have directed preparations for a second aircraft carrier strike group to head to the Middle East as planners ready options tied to possible action against Iran. No formal deployment order has been issued, and Pentagon officials said timetables remain subject to change. If sent, the additional carrier would operate alongside t…
Representative Ro Khanna, newly the ranking Democrat on the House Select Committee on China, said he is open to permitting sales of older-generation Nvidia chips to China once the United States secures a multi-year technological lead, while maintaining restrictions on the most advanced processors. His stance departs from his predecessor's oppositio…
The Bank of France reported a firmer-than-expected rebound in activity at the start of the year and estimated GDP growth of 0.2-0.3% for the first quarter following a 0.2% expansion in the previous three months. Business sentiment across industry, services and construction improved entering February, with industrial output strengthening in January,…
Members of the Bank of Canada’s Governing Council said threats to the independence of the U.S. Federal Reserve, together with rising geopolitical tensions and shifting trade policy, have intensified global uncertainty. The council’s January meeting deliberations, released on Wednesday, noted risks to supply chains, inflation and economic activity a…
Citi shifted its forecast for the Federal Reserve's initial rate reduction from March to May after U.S. nonfarm payrolls rose by 130,000 in January, well above expectations. The unemployment rate fell to 4.3% from 4.4%, and Citi analysts led by Veronica Clark say there will likely not be enough evidence of labor-market weakening before the March FO…
Following a cumulative three-quarter percentage point easing in 2025, Federal Reserve policymakers left the policy rate unchanged in January. Officials are publicly divided into dovish and hawkish camps based on recent remarks: some emphasize labor market risks and favor quicker cuts, while others stress inflationary upside and urge caution. A runn…
The Congressional Budget Office has increased its 10-year deficit projection by $1.4 trillion, pointing to the administration's 2025 tax law and immigration enforcement actions as principal drivers. While higher import duties are expected to trim deficits, surging interest payments from larger debt and higher rates will intensify budgetary pressure…
The International Monetary Fund is urging South Africa to replace its softer spending ceilings with a more explicit, enforceable debt rule. Despite modest recent gains in governance and a recent credit upgrade, the IMF warns current measures have failed to halt a long-term rise in public debt and recommends a formal framework with spending limits, …
Kansas City Federal Reserve President Jeffrey Schmid told an economic forum in Albuquerque that the Fed should keep monetary policy tight because inflation remains close to 3% and demand appears to be outpacing supply. He expressed caution about relying on productivity gains or artificial intelligence as immediate fixes and warned that cutting rate…
Kansas City Federal Reserve President Jeffrey Schmid told an economic forum in Albuquerque that the central bank should maintain restrictive policy for now because demand appears to be outpacing supply across much of the U.S. economy. He cautioned that recent productivity gains - and hopes that artificial intelligence will lift potential output - a…
The Congressional Budget Office projects the U.S. fiscal 2026 deficit will reach $1.853 trillion, about 5.8% of GDP, and warns of a decade-long average deficit-to-GDP ratio of 6.1%. The CBO’s outlook relies on weaker growth assumptions than the administration’s and attributes sustained deficits to recent tax and spending legislation, changes to imm…
Bank of Mexico Deputy Jonathan Heath said he doubts the central bank's recent projection that inflation will fall to its 3% target in the second quarter of 2027. Heath warned that the bank could be relying on overly optimistic forecasts, underestimating structural inflation pressures and risking premature monetary easing, even as official data show…
U.S. nonfarm payrolls increased by 130,000 in January and the unemployment rate edged down to 4.3% from 4.4% in December, surpassing economists' median forecast of a 70,000 gain. The report lifted stock futures, pushed the 10-year Treasury yield higher and nudged the dollar up, reinforcing expectations that the Federal Reserve will hold policy stea…
The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reduced its estimate of jobs created in the 12 months through March 2025 by 862,000, revising down the seasonally adjusted change in total nonfarm employment for 2025 to 181,000 from 584,000. The benchmark revision, based on updated Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages data for the first quarter, was smaller …
U.S. nonfarm payrolls rose by 130,000 in January while the unemployment rate slipped to 4.3% from 4.4% in December. The stronger-than-expected report reflected unusually low seasonal hiring during the holidays that reduced January layoffs, a delayed release tied to a short federal shutdown, and an updated birth-and-death model at the Bureau of Labo…
