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
Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City President Jeff Schmid warned that the recent surge in energy prices related to the Iran conflict risks keeping inflation closer to 3%, and urged policymakers not to assume the shock will be temporary. He highlighted the likely transmission of higher oil and gas costs into core inflation via transportation channel…
Kansas City Federal Reserve President Jeff Schmid warned that rising energy costs could do more than a brief lift to inflation, noting that inflation was close to 3% before the Iran conflict pushed oil prices higher. He said policymakers should not be complacent about inflation expectations, urged actions to validate those expectations, and stresse…
The High Court in London concluded a 10-week trial on March 31 examining claims by seven public figures that Associated Newspapers Limited, publisher of the Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday, commissioned private investigators to carry out unlawful information-gathering between 1993 and 2011. Judge Matthew Nicklin said he would take time to consider th…
U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer told Bloomberg that the World Trade Organization is unable to tackle fundamental distortions in the global trading system, including structural imbalances, currency matters and large export-driven surpluses. Despite those limitations, Greer said the United States does not plan to leave the WTO. He noted that…
Ireland will introduce a personal savings and investment account from next year designed to encourage households to shift a portion of the 170 billion euros held in low-yield bank deposits into investment products. The vehicle will apply an annual flat-rate tax on assets above a tax-free threshold and may use that flat rate as the sole tax on inves…
Canada's real GDP edged up 0.1% in January, propelled by gains in oil and gas extraction and construction. While goods-producing industries posted modest growth, a 1.4% fall in manufacturing - largely linked to extended holiday shutdowns at Ontario automotive plants - moderated overall expansion. Early signals point to a modest rebound in February.
Canada's economy recorded a marginal increase in monthly gross domestic product in January, rising 0.1% after December's 0.2% gain. Growth in mining, construction and oil and gas extraction offset a sharp fall in manufacturing, leaving overall momentum fragile. An advance estimate pointed to a possible 0.2% expansion in February, while markets are …
The first quarter delivered abrupt, large-scale moves across commodity, fixed income, equity and currency markets as the outbreak of war in Iran coincided with disruptive geopolitical actions earlier in January. Brent crude surged nearly 90%, European gas prices almost doubled and global interest rates have turned decisively higher, producing major…
U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth told reporters that regime change has occurred in Iran and that American strikes are increasing in intensity. He said U.S. firepower is growing while Iranian capabilities are declining, described the coming days as decisive in the operation, and warned that strikes will continue and intensify unless Tehran accept…
President Donald Trump posted on Truth Social urging countries unable to secure jet fuel because of a closure of the Strait of Hormuz to either buy fuel from the United States or mount military action themselves to reopen the waterway. He said the U.S. would not help allies in such efforts and signaled a willingness to end the U.S. military campaig…
Pakistan is assessing options to make use of an Iran-granted allowance for 20 Pakistan-flagged transits through the Strait of Hormuz, including the possible re-flagging of third-party tankers, officials said. Islamabad does not currently have the fleet in the Persian Gulf to fill the quota and has not reached a final decision on the approach.
European Central Bank Governing Council member Boris Vujcic told reporters in Zagreb that the jump in inflation expectations following the outbreak of the Iran war was anticipated by the ECB. He warned that a prolonged conflict or heavier damage to energy infrastructure would add upward pressure on energy prices and, in turn, consumer inflation. EC…
The S&P 500 is set to record its steepest quarterly decline in four years as investor worries about inflation, an escalation in the Iran conflict, and uncertainty around AI-driven disruption prompt a retreat. A spike in oil prices and a reversal in long-term Treasury calm have compounded pressure on equities, while the leading megacap technology fi…
An International Monetary Fund official says almost 3 million leftover non-performing loans dating from Greece's debt crisis are stunting economic recovery by locking about 2.4 million people and many small businesses out of lending markets. Despite bank re-privatisation and the transfer of roughly 60 billion euros of bad loans to servicers, unreso…
China's central bank said Tuesday it will keep monetary policy appropriately loose while watching external developments. The People’s Bank of China described the economy as broadly stable but noted pressures from strong supply, weak demand and external shocks. It promised moderately loose policy with greater counter-cyclical adjustment, ample liqui…
Inflation-driven yield increases tied to higher energy prices have already pushed Treasury yields up. Market attention is turning to the fiscal cost of a protracted conflict - including defense supplemental requests, potential tariff refunds and possible stimulus - which could widen deficits and further unsettle bond markets that have been weak thi…
U.S. banks have raised the interest charged on some credit facilities used by private credit funds, driven by growing uncertainty over valuations of loans held in those portfolios. The increase in borrowing costs - particularly for back-leverage facilities used by business development companies (BDCs) and other private credit firms - tightens margi…
Analysts at Cornwall Insight forecast an approximate 18% increase in Britain’s domestic energy price cap in July, lifting the cap to 1,929 pounds per year for a typical household, driven by higher international gas prices after shipping disruptions and a stop to Qatari LNG exports. The estimate is slightly below a prior 20% projection. Officials ha…
Global air passenger traffic rose 6.1% in February 2026 versus February 2025, outpacing capacity expansion and pushing the load factor to a February record of 81.4%, the International Air Transport Association reported. International and domestic markets both expanded, while rising fuel costs linked to the war in the Middle East and adjustments to …
Inflation across the 21-country euro area rose to 2.5% in March from 1.9% the previous month, pushed higher by a jump in energy costs. Underlying inflation excluding food and energy edged down to 2.3%, but the rapid increase in oil and gas has prompted debate at the European Central Bank over whether to tighten policy to prevent second-round effect…
The European Central Bank published a model that transforms infrequent survey responses into monthly inflation expectation series for horizons up to ten years, stretching back to 1999. The analysis finds professional forecasters initially underestimated the magnitude and persistence of the 2021-22 inflation spike, only revising their 12-month outlo…
The European Central Bank outlined modeling work intended to generate a more continuous picture of inflation expectations, addressing limitations in survey frequency and market-based measures. The models interpolate sparse survey forecasts into a monthly curve and separately strip risk premia from market signals to produce a 'clean' expectations se…
Ye Win Oo, a 60-year-old general who led the squad that detained Aung San Suu Kyi during the February 1, 2021 coup, was named commander-in-chief of Myanmar's military on Monday. His promotion marks the first time a former head of military intelligence has risen to the top post. Analysts, diplomats and a defector point to his loyalty and proximity t…
U.S. stock futures rose as the first quarter neared its close, supported by reports that President Trump is weighing an end to the Iran military campaign without reopening the Strait of Hormuz. Oil prices remained historically high after a Kuwaiti tanker near Dubai caught fire following an alleged Iranian attack. Investors awaited U.S. JOLTS job op…
South Korean equities suffered heavy losses as the KOSPI plunged 4.3% on Tuesday, bringing its fall since late February to 19.9%. The won weakened about 1% to trade below 1,500 against the dollar. Large foreign sell-offs and a rapid unwind of positions, amid rising energy prices and reduced risk appetite tied to the Middle East war, underpinned the…
