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.
6,527 total articles
The Institute for Supply Management's nonmanufacturing PMI slipped to 54.0 in June from 54.5 in May, signaling continued expansion in the services sector but a loss of momentum. New orders cooled, supplier delivery times remained long, and prices paid by services firms eased as oil returned to pre-conflict levels. Employment within services rebound…
NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte told reporters that European allies and Canada have raised combined defense spending to about 4% of GDP, driven by a near-20% rise in core defense outlays last year. Rutte said the extra planned investment for 2025 and 2026 totals $258 billion and expects detailed plans at the Ankara leaders summit to meet a 5% of …
India's office leasing market reached an all-time high for any six-month period in the first half of 2026, with 45.5 million square feet taken up. Growth was driven by large transactions from multinational firms expanding global capability centres and from flexible workspace operators. Fortune 500 companies accounted for a substantial share of acti…
Morgan Stanley says the recent pullback in U.S. semiconductor shares signals a widening of market leadership, with investors expected to shift capital toward AI 'hyperscalers' and into consumer discretionary, transport and biotechnology stocks. The bank notes hyperscalers have already invested heavily in AI infrastructure, but says there is limited…
A recent two-page European state intelligence note concludes that Russia’s banks face an "explosive" risk of crisis as they absorb mounting credit risks tied to the state’s wartime financing. The report highlights a rise in doubtful corporate loans, elevated retail non-performing loans, surging household indebtedness and growing deposits held outsi…
Hedge funds trading equities posted double-digit returns year-to-date after a strong June, driven by successful positioning in crowded trades and large fundamental bets. Fundamental stockpickers produced outsized quarterly gains, while systematic managers saw modest monthly returns and mixed results across currencies and commodities. Losses in June…
Hungary completed its first international bond issuance since Viktor Orban's government left office in April, offering benchmark euro-denominated notes maturing in 2032 and 2037. The operation drew bids above €5 billion and came as yields on existing euro paper fell sharply. The new administration, which regained access to European Union funds and …
The Bank of England has named Rhys Phillips as its next chief cashier, succeeding Victoria Cleland. Phillips, currently the governor's principal private secretary, will take on executive director duties on October 19 and oversee a planned redesign of sterling banknotes that replaces historical figures with wildlife images. Cleland will leave the Ba…
The UK Financial Conduct Authority has recommended a review to determine whether large language models and other general-purpose AI systems should fall inside financial regulation, citing growing consumer trust in these tools and the concentration of reliance on a few technology providers that could create system-wide vulnerabilities.
Ten vessels connected to Japan began transiting out of the Strait of Hormuz on Monday after being detained in the corridor for months, media reports said. The group includes six very large crude carriers loaded with about 12 million barrels of Middle Eastern crude, alongside chemical tankers, a vehicle carrier and a container ship. The movements, c…
NATO members agreed to raise combined defence and security-related spending to 5% of GDP by 2035, a target that is already forcing countries to rework budgets. Some nations - notably Germany and several Nordic and eastern European states - are increasing outlays quickly, while several of Europe’s largest economies are encountering funding shortfall…
At least eight ships operated by Japan's Mitsui OSK Lines Ltd. are transiting the Strait of Hormuz through a passage closer to Iran, according to ship-tracking data. The group - five supertankers, two chemical tankers and a car carrier - are moving as a convoy after some vessels previously abandoned earlier exit attempts. The movements follow shift…
U.S. stock futures climbed on Monday as semiconductor shares steadied and oil prices fell following an OPEC+ agreement to lift output targets. The move built on a rally that lifted the main indexes last week, while investors continued to reassess Federal Reserve rate expectations and prepared for an increase in corporate results later this month.
Spain is poised to surpass 100 million foreign tourists if current momentum continues, the tourism minister said, with the government projecting strong summer arrivals and a significant revenue increase for the June-September period. Middle East uncertainty is cited as a factor supporting higher bookings.
Michelle Turner founded Here Now Health to deliver mental health counseling for children entering foster care, using AI tools to design a business plan, refine investor materials and learn startup practices. The company, launched in January 2025, has grown to 16 employees and is certified in three states to provide Medicaid-funded services. The cas…
Markets return from the Fourth of July break with attention concentrated on U.S. services sector activity, the Federal Reserve's June meeting minutes and possible announcements of appointees to new Fed task forces. Corporate results from Levi Strauss and Delta Air Lines add an earnings angle, while commentary from new Fed Chair Kevin Warsh on the c…
U.S. equity futures traded marginally higher heading into a week heavy with economic releases, led by a closely watched Institute for Supply Management non-manufacturing PMI for June. Oil prices eased after OPEC+ agreed to lift production targets beginning in August, while spot gold fell as the dollar recovered some ground. Separately, Foxconn repo…
A quarterly BF.direkt survey shows a marked deterioration in sentiment among German commercial real estate financiers in Q2, with the financing readiness barometer plunging to -25.97 from -9.74. Respondents attributed the shift to the war in Iran, which has contributed to an energy-driven inflation shock and renewed fears of rising interest rates. …
The coming week offers few scheduled macro releases but several high-impact events that could move markets. Investors will pore over minutes from the Federal Reserve's June meeting - the first under chair Kevin Warsh - for signs of internal divisions and policymakers' views on recent energy price moves. A NATO summit in Ankara will test alliance co…
The Bank of England is reviewing the operation of its leverage rules, a move banks say could encourage them to buy substantially more UK government bonds and cut public borrowing costs by over >$1.3 billion a year, according to bank estimates. The Financial Stability Report due at 0930 GMT on Tuesday will include the BoE's update on the review.
Global markets began the week in a subdued fashion as attention turns to a heavy earnings calendar and a mix of geopolitical and economic datapoints. Oil softened after OPEC+ agreed a modest output increase, Asian equities pared gains following strong year-to-date rallies, and investors await Federal Reserve minutes and several central bank appeara…
The U.S. dollar weakened toward a two-week low as market participants reduced their expectations for a Federal Reserve interest rate increase this year. Concurrently, the Japanese yen continued to trade near a 40-year low, maintaining a high level of uncertainty among investors regarding potential intervention by Japanese authorities. The euro and …
K-shaped dynamics that surfaced in late 2024 to early 2025 describe a widening split in consumption between higher- and lower-income households. Bank of America notes the top 10% of households accounted for about 23% of consumption while the bottom 10% contributed roughly 4%. That divergence makes overall demand increasingly dependent on wealthy ho…
Market participants enter the week looking for guidance on interest-rate prospects from minutes of last month’s Federal Reserve meeting and initial signals from a consequential earnings season. The recent rally, driven largely by technology and semiconductor gains that lifted the S&P 500 in the second quarter, has shown fresh instability. Investors…
Global personal wealth expanded for the third consecutive year, according to UBS’s Global Wealth Report 2026. Average wealth growth in 2025 outpaced headline economic activity, but the gains were uneven across regions. Currency movements, household-debt trends, demographic shifts such as the Great Wealth Transfer and increasing female wealth owners…
