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.
910 total articles
A National Australia Bank survey showed Australian business conditions softened slightly in January with sales and profits dipping, while measures of labour and input costs fell to levels not seen since 2021. Employment remained steady and quarterly retail price growth slowed, even as the Reserve Bank of Australia prepared a quarter-point rate incr…
Singapore's economy expanded 6.9% year-on-year in Q4 2025, outperforming an earlier estimate of 5.7%, with seasonally adjusted quarter-on-quarter growth at 2.1%. Full-year 2025 growth was recorded at 5.0%. The trade ministry and Enterprise Singapore have both upgraded growth outlooks for 2026 and non-oil domestic exports, citing stronger-than-expec…
Global stock markets climbed on Monday following Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi's decisive election victory and a rebound in technology shares. The dollar weakened after reports that China instructed financial institutions to limit exposure to U.S. government debt. Markets are parsing how Japan will finance proposed tax cuts and spending, w…
The United Nations is seeking concrete details from Washington on when and how much it will pay toward its substantial unpaid contributions after U.S. officials pledged an initial payment in the coming weeks. U.N. officials say the bulk of arrears are owed by the United States, which faces questions over allocation between past and current budget y…
Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund (PIF) will unveil a five-year strategy this week that reorients investment priorities toward industrial sectors, minerals, artificial intelligence and tourism, while pulling back on costly mega projects such as The Line. The $925 billion fund soft-launched its 2026-2030 framework with key investors and partners…
A French government advisory report says Europe faces a marked rise in Chinese competitive pressure and recommends dramatic options - a 30% across-the-board tariff on Chinese goods or a 30% depreciation of the euro versus the renminbi - to prevent further erosion of industrial activity. The analysis highlights exposed sectors, substantial cost adva…
Bundesbank President Joachim Nagel said the European Central Bank's policy rate is at the correct level, arguing that a recent fall in inflation to 1.7% is a brief deviation and that medium-term inflation will settle at the 2% target. Nagel said the ECB would only change course if medium-term inflation expectations moved "sustainably and noticeably…
The surprise announcement that Francois Villeroy de Galhau will leave his post as Banque de France governor in June is not expected to disrupt the European Central Bank’s current policy trajectory. His early departure hands President Emmanuel Macron the opportunity to appoint a successor ahead of the 2027 presidential vote, yet recent shifts in cen…
The New York Fed's January Survey of Consumer Expectations shows U.S. households trimmed near-term inflation expectations and reported improved hiring prospects, even as they anticipate tougher credit conditions and a higher unemployment rate a year ahead. Policymakers cite steady longer-run inflation expectations as a factor in confidence that inf…
A monthly Federal Reserve Bank of New York survey showed Americans grew less worried about inflation over the next 12 months in January and reported better prospects in the labor market, even as longer-term inflation expectations held steady and respondents expressed mixed views on credit and personal finances.
A Reuters poll of economists indicates Egypt's Monetary Policy Committee is likely to cut overnight interest rates by 100 basis points on Thursday, bringing the deposit rate to 19.0% and the lending rate to 20.0%. The expected move continues an easing cycle that began last April amid retreating inflation and an improved external position for the co…
Slovak central bank governor Peter Kazimir said the European Central Bank would need a significant deviation in economic or inflation trajectories before considering a change in policy, reiterating views days after the ECB left interest rates unchanged and signalled steady policy while expecting inflation to remain near its 2% goal.
Peter Kazimir, governor of Slovakia's central bank and an ECB policymaker, said on Monday that only a sizeable departure from the ECB's baseline economic and inflation outlook would justify a change to the current monetary policy stance. He reiterated that inflation risks are balanced but conditional on favorable energy prices, and warned that unce…
Kevin Hassett, director of the National Economic Council, told viewers that Americans should expect somewhat smaller monthly job creation figures in the months ahead. He attributed the anticipated decline to slowing population growth combined with accelerating productivity, and emphasized that such a pattern does not indicate overall economic weakn…
Turkey's central bank is expected to raise its 2026 inflation forecasts and may slow or stop further interest-rate cuts following a renewed rise in consumer prices in January. Officials and analysts say the bank faces a choice between tempering its easing cycle or accepting slower disinflation, with most predicting a mix of both approaches. The cen…
Brazil has returned to international debt markets with a new bond offering that comprises dollar-denominated notes maturing in 2036 and an expansion of its outstanding 2056 bonds. Initial pricing conversations point to yields near 6.7% for the 2036 tranche and around 7.6% for the 2056 expansion. The transaction follows $11 billion of foreign bond i…
The Office of Personnel Management proposed a rule to remove the Merit Systems Protection Board as the avenue for federal employees to contest terminations. Under the plan, appeals would instead be handled by the OPM, whose director reports directly to President Donald Trump, representing a transfer of review authority from an independent tribunal …
Mexico's annual inflation rate climbed to 3.79% in January, up from 3.69% in December, driven in part by new taxes and tariffs introduced at the start of the year. The closely watched core inflation measure rose to 4.52%, its highest reading since March 2024. The Bank of Mexico held its benchmark rate at 7.0% and extended its forecast for when infl…
S&P Global Ratings has cut its forecast for China’s 2026 property sales, now expecting a 10% to 14% decline versus its October projection of a 5% to 8% drop. The agency flagged entrenched oversupply, further price declines, weakening buyer confidence and continued developer construction that has left new completed housing unsold for the sixth succe…
Brazil's central bank chief Gabriel Galipolo said policy 'calibration' is crucial as policymakers prepare to begin easing in March. While the inflation outlook has improved, he warned the labour market and broader economy remain more resilient than expected under restrictive rates of 15%, and flagged concern about inflation expectations staying abo…
Mexico’s headline consumer price inflation rose to 3.79% year-on-year in January, in line with but slightly below market estimates, while core inflation accelerated to 4.52%. The readings support the Bank of Mexico’s unanimous decision to maintain its key rate at 7% and push back its forecast for when inflation will return to target to the second q…
Market forecasters in a recent poll expect Brazil's annual inflation rate to have risen modestly to 4.44% in January from 4.26% in December, keeping it below the 4.50% upper bound of the central bank's target range for a third consecutive month. The median view, compiled from 20 economists polled between February 4 and 9, also points to a 0.32% mon…
Francois Villeroy de Galhau, governor of the Bank of France since 2015 and a member of the European Central Bank's Governing Council, has told staff he will step down in June, more than a year before his term was due to expire. He plans to take up leadership of a Catholic foundation serving vulnerable youth and families. The early departure creates…
Argentina has issued a dollar-denominated Treasury bill totaling $1.228 billion that will be issued on February 13, 2026 and mature on February 19, 2027. The instrument is zero-coupon, will be placed directly with the national public sector, is non-transferable and will not be listed on local or international markets.
U.S. seaports handled 6.8% fewer container imports in January versus the prior year, according to Descartes Systems Group. The month saw 2,318,722 TEUs overall, a figure above the historical average that Descartes attributes to steadier demand rather than the frontloading that drove January 2025’s record. Imports from China fell 22.7% to 771,093 TE…
