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.
7,104 total articles
U.S. equity futures edged higher after record closes on Wall Street as investors digested a stronger-than-expected outlook from Apple alongside ongoing corporate earnings and heightened geopolitical tensions. Oil held weekly gains amid rising Iran-related risks, and the Japanese yen weakened toward the 157 level despite official intervention signal…
Japan's yen rallied sharply after senior officials signalled readiness to act in currency markets and official buying earlier in the week supported the fragile currency. Comments from top foreign exchange diplomat Atsushi Mimura, coupled with prior intervention and renewed rhetoric from Finance Minister Satsuki Katayama, heightened speculation of f…
European Central Bank policymakers said they may need to tighten monetary policy, potentially as soon as June, citing a weakening inflation outlook and the risk that energy-driven price rises could spill over into broader goods and services inflation. While the ECB kept rates unchanged this week, senior officials warned higher rates remain a live o…
Japan has executed a $2.2 billion loan agreement to finance the first set of projects under its $550 billion pledge of investment to the United States. The loan combines state-backed financing from the Japan Bank for International Cooperation with funds from major commercial banks, and is tied to a trade arrangement that reduced U.S. tariffs on Jap…
Standard Chartered has revised its forecast, now expecting the European Central Bank to raise rates by 25 basis points in June after policymakers signalled a hawkish stance. The bank stressed the call is conditional on incoming economic data and left open the possibility of a continued pause. Markets are pricing a high probability of a June hike, a…
A host of macro developments - rising oil prices amid the Middle East conflict, upcoming U.S. payrolls, UK municipal elections, a busy European earnings slate and a closely watched Reserve Bank of Australia decision - set the tone for financial markets this week. Traders will monitor the balance between elevated energy costs, labour data and centra…
U.S. equity buying pushed markets higher after mixed regional signals, with strong corporate results in technology and industrials outweighing a sharp oil shock. Narrow earnings upgrades focused on semiconductors, IT and communications have powered the rally, while elevated crude prices and central bank caution underscore inflation and currency ris…
Japan moved into foreign exchange markets on Thursday to buy yen against the U.S. dollar, according to officials familiar with the situation, marking the latest attempt to counter a sustained depreciation that has been intensified by a jump in oil prices linked to the Iran conflict. Policymakers are openly weighing intervention not only in currency…
President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva said the government will announce new measures on Monday aimed at reducing household indebtedness. The ‘Novo Desenrola Brasil’ program will allow consumers to renegotiate credit card, personal and student loan debt with lower interest rates, extended payment terms, sizable discounts and the option to use up to 20…
The yen slipped modestly against the U.S. dollar on Friday but remained on track for its largest weekly gain in over two months after Japan's finance authorities intervened to buy yen. Market participants are watching closely for additional intervention as holiday-thinned trading and comments from officials keep volatility elevated.
A recent poll of economists found that the Reserve Bank of Australia is widely expected to raise its official cash rate by 25 basis points to 4.35% at its May 5 meeting. The survey also shows an increasing share of economists forecasting additional tightening, driven in part by higher oil prices after the closure of the Strait of Hormuz and persist…
Tokyo's core consumer inflation eased to 1.5% in April, remaining below the Bank of Japan's 2% target for a third consecutive month. Fuel subsidies helped offset rising raw material costs driven by the Middle East conflict, though analysts warn that surging oil prices and a weak yen could push consumer inflation higher in coming months, increasing …
At a Financial Literacy Month event in the Treasury's historic Cash Room, Secretary Scott Bessent encouraged more than 50 Washington-area students to sign up for new tax-free 'Trump accounts' for savers under 18, highlighted a redesigned mymoney.gov site and showcased interactive learning tools ranging from a World Cup-themed quiz game to Marvel co…
A federal judge in Boston issued a preliminary injunction blocking U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services from enforcing policies that treated nationality as a "significant negative factor" and paused processing of certain immigration applications for people from countries on the administration's travel-ban lists. The ruling, affecting roughly 2…
U.S. equities closed April on a strong note as robust technology earnings and investment figures reinforced the view that AI-related spending still has significant runway. At the same time, Japanese authorities intervened to buy yen, producing the currency's largest one-day gain since 2022 and prompting notable moves across FX, bond and equity mark…
Colombia's monetary authority kept its policy rate at 11.25% in a unanimous decision, defying broad expectations for a further rise. The move comes amid public confrontations between the central bank and President Gustavo Petro, and ahead of a presidential election round that could influence economic and policy uncertainty.
Brazil's Congress on Thursday voted to overturn President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva's veto of a bill that sharply reduces former President Jair Bolsonaro's 27-year prison sentence for plotting a post-2022 election coup. The decision follows a separate setback for Lula this week, when the Senate rejected his Supreme Court nominee, and underscores gr…
The U.S. Department of the Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control has announced sanctions on former Democratic Republic of the Congo president Joseph Kabange Kabila for his role in supporting armed groups seeking to overthrow the current DRC government. The measures target Kabila's ties to the March 23 Movement (M23) and the Congo River Allian…
Goldman Sachs argues that South Africa's fiscal results for the 2025/26 year — highlighted by March budget data showing revenue ahead of prior estimates and expenditures in line — increase the likelihood of positive credit actions from major agencies. The bank expects upgrades from the current BB median toward BB+ over the next year and flags immin…
Meta raised its long-term capital expenditure outlook even after a first-quarter revenue beat, prompting a steep share decline as investors weigh a large, fast-escalating infrastructure bet with an uncertain payoff and no cloud business to absorb costs. Alphabet also lifted its capex guidance on the same day.
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi told U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio in a phone call that China and the United States should ready themselves for "important high-level exchanges" and cautioned that the Taiwan question is "the biggest point of risk" in bilateral ties. Beijing emphasized the need for the U.S. to keep its promises and choose the …
The European Central Bank kept its main interest rate at 2% and emphasized the trade-off between containing inflation and protecting growth as energy costs rise due to the Iran war. Money markets trimmed expectations for three quarter-point hikes this year, putting the odds on at least two increases beginning in June, while bond yields and the euro…
European Central Bank policymakers are expected to lift interest rates in June unless energy price pressures abate and hostilities in Iran conclude. ECB President Christine Lagarde indicated the bank will reassess economic projections over the coming six weeks before deciding, while sources familiar with private discussions said a rate increase is …
A poll of 12 economists projects the central bank will lower its policy rate from 14.5% to 12% by the end of 2026 as officials seek to stimulate investment following a surprise contraction in the first quarter. Despite the quarterly decline, forecasters lifted their 2026 growth estimate to 1.0% from 0.8%.
Several principal central banks left policy rates unchanged this week while warning that renewed upward pressure on energy prices linked to the U.S.-Israeli war with Iran could force them to raise borrowing costs in the near term. Policymakers across the G10 signalled heightened vigilance, with some explicitly flagging the possibility of imminent i…
