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.
7,197 total articles
The S&P 500 reached an intraday record high on Wednesday, the first such high since the outbreak of the U.S.-Iran war, as growing expectations for de-escalation coupled with stronger-than-expected corporate earnings projections drew investors back toward risk assets. Market positioning shifted despite ongoing geopolitical uncertainty, supported by …
The International Monetary Fund expects at least 12 countries to seek new financing to manage higher energy costs and disrupted supply chains from the war in the Middle East, with several requests coming from sub-Saharan Africa. IMF Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva cautioned that interruptions from a potentially closed Strait of Hormuz will h…
Thailand's government has not reached a decision on whether to raise its internal ceiling on public debt, currently set at 70% of GDP, Finance Minister Ekniti Nitithanprapas said at a panel during the IMF-World Bank Spring Meetings in Washington. Officials are still discussing both the technical details of any change and how any additional borrowin…
Sellers submitted seven oil cargo offers in a North Sea pricing window on Wednesday while only two bids were entered and subsequently withdrawn, according to traders monitoring the S&P Global unit-run window. This is the first session since March 16 in which offers outpaced bids, a reversal from last week's buyer-dominated activity. One offer on We…
Major U.S. banks reported hefty first-quarter investment banking revenue and say pipelines remain full, supporting expectations for an active 2026 in dealmaking. However, the U.S.-Israeli conflict with Iran and related market volatility are weighing on executive confidence and could alter the timing or completion of transactions and listings.
Israel's year-on-year inflation rate declined to 1.9% in March from 2.0% in February, remaining inside the government's 1-3% target band. Despite the cooling, a surge in global energy prices tied to military actions involving Iran and subsequent blockades of the Strait of Hormuz have reduced the likelihood of an immediate interest-rate cut, the cen…
L3Harris Technologies announced a $1.27 billion investment to expand solid rocket motor production at its Orange County, Virginia, site. The move accompanies a separate $1 billion U.S. government commitment into L3Harris' Missile Solutions unit via a convertible preferred stake ahead of that unit's planned public offering in the second half of 2026…
A set of policymakers at the European Central Bank are reluctant to raise interest rates this month, saying they have not yet observed convincing signs that the recent surge in inflation tied to energy price shocks is spreading across the economy. While a policy response remains a possibility if inflation expectations or wage pressures change, sour…
Government records obtained under the Freedom of Information Act show that the Internal Revenue Service reduced enforcement activity in fiscal 2025 after large-scale staff cuts overseen by a Trump administration cost-cutting agency. The result: a 5% drop in enforcement revenue, roughly $5 billion, and more than 120,000 fewer audits. The agency lost…
Qatar’s finance minister warned at the IMF spring meetings that a continued closure of the Strait of Hormuz and ongoing trade restrictions affecting supplies of natural gas, fertilizers and helium could precipitate a much larger economic crisis in the coming months. Damage to Qatar’s Ras Laffan LNG complex and constrained helium exports are central…
Germany is already feeling economic strain from the conflict involving Iran, Finance Minister Lars Klingbeil said in Washington at the IMF spring meetings. Klingbeil declined to preview the government’s own forecasts, which are due next week. Separately, the IMF cut its growth projections for Germany in 2026 and 2027 by 0.3 percentage points to 0.8…
Italy's independent budget office says the war in Iran and the broader Middle East could shave 0.2-0.4 percentage points off GDP growth in both 2026 and 2027. The watchdog also reported modest quarterly expansion in the first quarter of the year but stressed significant uncertainty around that estimate. Rome's government is expected to lower its ne…
Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland President Beth Hammack said rates are currently appropriate and that the central bank's baseline is to keep policy unchanged for an extended period. She cautioned, however, that incoming data and energy price developments create two-sided risks for future decisions and described supply shocks as a particular challe…
New York state factory activity accelerated in April to its highest level in five months, driven by stronger orders and shipments. Measures of employment and hours worked rose to multi-month highs, even as firms became more cautious about business conditions over the next six months and downgraded plans for hiring and capital spending. Input-cost e…
Morgan Stanley reports that federal tax refunds are coming in slightly weaker than the firm anticipated, with average refunds up 11% to $3,462 and federal refunds up 14% year over year. While the bank had expected refunds to lift consumption modestly, economist Heather Berger cautions that a 15% rise in average gas prices - to about $3.60 or higher…
President Donald Trump said artificial intelligence carries risks for confidence in the banking system and said the government should implement safeguards, while also arguing the technology can improve security and performance. His comments followed warnings from cybersecurity specialists about Anthropic's Mythos model and its potential to amplify …
Pacific Investment Management Co. bought all $400 million of bonds sold Monday by a Blue Owl private-credit vehicle, a move that came during a recent selloff that widened spreads across similar funds. The trade follows market concerns about lending standards and exposure to software companies facing disruption from artificial intelligence; whether …
President Donald Trump announced that he has permanently opened the Strait of Hormuz and said China has agreed not to send weapons to Iran as part of cooperative efforts between Washington and Beijing. In a post on Truth Social, he said China welcomed the action and described U.S.-China relations as working together 'smartly and very well.' The ann…
A Pakistani delegation is expected in Iran today to hand over messages from the United States, Iranian foreign ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei said. The visit is a continuation of talks hosted by Pakistan on Saturday, and follows multiple message exchanges since the Iranian delegation returned home. Saturday's discussions addressed a full end…
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen announced that an EU-developed age verification application is ready and will soon be available for use across mobile and desktop devices. The tool requires anonymous upload of passports or ID cards to confirm age and is part of a broader push by EU institutions and member states to limit children’…
Recruitment firm Robert Walters narrowed its first-quarter decline in net fees, aided by a return to growth in Japan and early signs of increased candidate confidence in several markets. The company reported a 2% fall in net fees to 65.2 million pounds for the quarter ended March 31, after a prolonged spell of double-digit quarterly drops. Manageme…
Bank of America reported higher first-quarter profit as market volatility drove stronger trading volumes. Sales and trading revenue rose 13% to $6.4 billion, while net income increased to $8.6 billion, or $1.11 per share, from $7.4 billion, or 89 cents per share a year earlier. The gains came against a backdrop of shifting market sentiment that fav…
The Pentagon is deploying roughly 10,000 more personnel and significant naval assets to the Middle East to increase pressure on Iran while holding open diplomatic channels during a fragile two-week ceasefire that expires on April 22. The reinforcement includes the USS George H.W. Bush carrier strike group, the Boxer Amphibious Ready Group and the 1…
The U.S. dollar has relinquished the majority of the gains it posted after the Iran conflict prompted a rush into safe-haven assets. A fragile ceasefire has pushed investors back toward riskier currencies, yet sustained foreign purchases of U.S. assets, higher relative yields and reduced odds of Federal Reserve rate cuts leave many market participa…
The 12 regional Federal Reserve presidents - locally selected figures who provide regional perspective to U.S. monetary policy - are facing an unprecedented pressure test. A pending Supreme Court case over presidential removal powers, a contentious transition at the Fed’s top, and criticism and proposals from Treasury levels and others raise questi…
