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.
7,195 total articles
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…
The Federal Communications Commission has approved a rule change replacing the Equivalent Power Flux Density (EPFD) framework with performance-based protection criteria for geostationary orbit (GSO) satellites. The update reflects modern satellite sharing capabilities such as adaptive coding and modulation and is projected by the FCC to deliver mor…
Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng spoke by video call with U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer, describing the exchanges as candid, in-depth and constructive. China raised strong objections to recent U.S. restrictive trade measures, while both sides agreed to step up consensus-building, manage differences…
European Central Bank President Christine Lagarde rejected comparisons between the current euro zone economy and 1970s stagflation, saying the historical conditions do not match today’s monetary and fiscal framework. The ECB left interest rates unchanged and warned that upside inflation risks and downside growth risks have become more pronounced, w…
With financing for the U.S. Secret Service and airport security poised to lapse, House Republicans will attempt to advance legislation to restore funding for Department of Homeland Security agencies that have faced a partial shutdown for nearly 11 weeks. The House late Wednesday approved a $70 billion budget measure to fund ICE and Border Patrol, w…
President Donald Trump publicly chastised German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, telling him to concentrate on resolving the Russia-Ukraine conflict and addressing domestic problems instead of involving himself in efforts aimed at the Iran nuclear threat. The remarks, posted on Truth Social, followed an earlier exchange in which Merz said Iranians were …
Australia's national dwelling values rose 0.3% in April to a record median of A$940,048, the slowest monthly increase since January last year, as sharper borrowing costs and the Middle East conflict pushed prices in Sydney and Melbourne into declines. Other capitals, including Perth, Brisbane and Adelaide, continued to post positive monthly gains, …
President Donald Trump on Thursday renewed a public call for ABC to terminate late-night host Jimmy Kimmel, posting on Truth Social that the network should move swiftly. The president's remarks followed First Lady Melania Trump's public urging that ABC remove Kimmel after a monologue he delivered prior to a shooting at a high-profile Washington din…
U.S. GDP grew at a 2.0% annualized rate in Q1 driven largely by a partial reversal in government outlays, while the Commerce Department reported PCE inflation for March in line with expectations: 3.5% year-over-year and 0.7% month-over-month, with core PCE up 0.3%. Markets reacted with equity futures higher, Treasury yields falling and the dollar r…
The European Central Bank left interest rates unchanged on April 30, while President Christine Lagarde warned of growing inflationary pressures and indicated the bank expects to raise rates several times this year, with an initial move pencilled in for June. Lagarde highlighted that domestic demand and a resilient labour market are supporting growt…
