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
Official data show China’s economy expanded 5.0% year-on-year in the first quarter, outpacing market forecasts, while quarterly growth matched expectations at 1.3%. Industrial output surprised to the upside in March, but retail sales, fixed-asset investment and property investment lagged. Market response was modest and commentary from strategists h…
Official data showed China’s gross domestic product climbed 5.0% year-on-year in the January-March quarter, surpassing market expectations. On a quarterly basis, GDP rose 1.3%, in line with forecasts and slightly ahead of the prior quarter’s 1.2% increase. The outbreak of conflict in the Middle East since February 28 has heightened the economy’s vu…
The U.S. dollar remained close to its lowest levels since early March as growing optimism from the White House about a possible peace deal with Iran encouraged market participants to unwind safe-haven positions. Currency benchmarks and risk-sensitive currencies strengthened, while officials signalled further diplomatic engagement and potential mari…
Goldman Sachs endured losses on certain rates positions late in the first quarter after fixed-income and currency markets became volatile amid the conflict with Iran, sources familiar with the matter said. The firm’s FICC division recorded a 10% fall in revenue to $4.01 billion in Q1, while some rivals posted gains. Bank executives say the setback …
Thailand's economy is slowing amid spillovers from the U.S.-Israeli war with Iran, the Bank of Thailand said. Assistant Governor Chayawadee Chai-anant warned of deep and open-ended downside risks if the conflict continues, citing near-zero Gulf tourism in March, rising import costs due to energy dependence, and a downgraded 2026 baseline GDP foreca…
Foreign portfolio flows have reversed sharply in the wake of the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran, which has pushed global oil prices toward $100 a barrel and exposed Thailand’s heavy reliance on Middle East energy. The shock has coincided with a fragile economic backdrop - deflationary pressures prior to the conflict, slow growth, and public debt approach…
Japan and the United States have agreed to intensify communication on exchange rates, Japanese Finance Minister Satsuki Katayama said after meeting U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent in Washington. Katayama, attending IMF, G7 and G20 finance gatherings, posted the remark on her X account. Japanese officials have issued repeated verbal warnings a…
China appears to have accelerated growth at the start of 2026, driven by strong external demand and stepped‑up fiscal support. Yet a geopolitical shock in the Middle East is lifting energy and transport costs, cooling global demand and squeezing corporate margins, creating downside risks to the later parts of the year.
New York Governor Kathy Hochul announced support for a proposed tax on second homes worth more than $5 million, a measure endorsed by New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani. City Hall says the levy targets out-of-city ultrawealthy owners who treat local properties as wealth storage and could generate roughly $500 million a year to help close a municipa…
Foreign ownership of U.S. Treasury securities reached a record $9.49 trillion in February, rising for a second consecutive month as investors sought U.S. yields. The gain was concentrated in Japan and the United Kingdom, while China slightly trimmed its holdings. The rise in foreign demand coincided with a fall in the 10-year Treasury yield and pro…
Brazil’s government has proposed counting 39.4% of court-ordered debt payments due in 2027 within its fiscal target, above the constitutional minimum. The move reduces the difference between the headline primary surplus target and the effective primary balance, as a substantial portion of judicial payments will remain outside fiscal rules.
Ukraine's deputy economy minister, Yegor Perelygin, said a Ukraine-U.S. reconstruction investment fund is expected to approve a second project this summer, most likely in the energy sector, with a third project targeted before the end of 2026. Speaking in Washington as part of a large Ukrainian delegation, Perelygin described the fund as a de-riski…
Norway’s $2.1 trillion sovereign wealth fund does not plan to cut its exposure to U.S. assets, Finance Minister Jens Stoltenberg told the Financial Times. He reiterated at a Washington event that roughly half of the fund’s investments will remain in the United States, citing the dynamism of the American stock market, even as the region’s conflict a…
Britain's Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) has urged political clarity on whether UK-built cars will qualify as 'Made in EU' under the European Commission's Industrial Accelerator Act (IAA). The industry group says the current uncertainty risks delaying boardroom investment decisions for UK carmakers at a time when both the UK and …
Mark Mobius, a defining figure in emerging markets investing who encouraged on-the-ground research and embraced volatility as opportunity, has died at the age of 89, according to a statement on his LinkedIn page. The post did not provide a cause of death. Over a multi-decade career he helped popularize the asset class, authored books blending trave…
Nilton David, monetary policy director at Brazil’s central bank, said the institution’s cautious strategy amid growing uncertainties - including the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran - has delivered results. Speaking at a JPMorgan event in Washington, David said the bank avoids acting on single data points, began a modest easing cycle with a 25 basis-point …
European Central Bank board member Isabel Schnabel said the ECB occupies a "relatively favorable" monetary policy position after inflation was reduced to 2% prior to the outbreak of the Middle East war. Speaking in Washington, she urged patience and data-dependence as the bank evaluates whether recent energy price shocks pose risks of entrenched in…
The S&P 500 and Nasdaq closed at record highs on Wednesday as investors digested signals from the U.S.-Iran situation and corporate profit results. Technology shares led gains, while energy and safe-haven assets showed mixed moves. Market participants continue to monitor geopolitical developments, central bank commentary and a slate of economic rel…
The World Bank and several major development banks launched Water Forward, a coordinated effort to expand reliable water services and reduce water stress for up to a billion people within four years. The initiative will prioritise investments in urban leakage reduction, modern irrigation, wastewater reuse and data-driven planning across 14 water-st…
White House budget director Russell Vought told the House Budget Committee that officials cannot yet estimate the cost of the war with Iran as he defended President Donald Trump’s proposal for an annual $1.5 trillion defense budget. The administration’s fiscal year 2027 request would raise military spending by $500 billion while cutting non-defense…
The International Monetary Fund's mission chief for Japan, Rahul Anand, said in Washington that the Bank of Japan can look through inflationary pressures stemming from the war in the Middle East, arguing second-round impacts on wages and core inflation should be limited. The IMF still expects inflation in Japan to converge to the BOJ's 2% target by…
U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent reiterated support for implementing the International Monetary Fund's long-delayed quota revisions and pressed the World Bank to speed financing for critical minerals projects that reduce dependence on China. He also welcomed the July 2026 expiration of the World Bank's Climate Change Action Plan and urged a re…
On April 15, a coalition of officials from developing economies formally launched the Borrowers' Platform, an initiative supported by the United Nations intended to amplify the negotiating power of debtor nations. The platform is designed as both a collective voice in creditor negotiations and a repository for shared experiences, with an interim ph…
St. Louis Federal Reserve President Alberto Musalem warned that elevated oil prices are likely to keep underlying inflation roughly a percentage point above the Fed's 2% goal through the remainder of the year, making it likely the central bank will keep its policy rate at the current 3.50%-3.75% range for an extended period. Musalem said he would r…
Summary: St. Louis Federal Reserve President Alberto Musalem told Reuters that higher oil costs are likely to push core inflation to about 3% for the remainder of the year, well above the Fed's 2% target. He said the central bank may keep its policy rate in the current 3.50%-3.75% range "for some time" while watching incoming data on inflation, lab…
