Economy

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.

Articles

911 total articles

Pound Pauses Ahead of Bank of England Decision as Markets Await Rate Path

Pound Pauses Ahead of Bank of England Decision as Markets Await Rate Path

The pound was largely unchanged on Tuesday as traders awaited the Bank of England’s rate decision on Thursday. With a sparse UK economic calendar until mid-to-late February, recent upside surprises in GDP, retail sales and business activity have bolstered sterling this year. Markets expect the BoE to keep rates at 3.75% on Thursday before implement…

Paris Prosecutors Expand Inquiry Into X, Summon Elon Musk for April Questioning

Paris Prosecutors Expand Inquiry Into X, Summon Elon Musk for April Questioning

French prosecutors in Paris said they have broadened a criminal investigation into the social media service X and will question Elon Musk in April. The probe, started in January 2025 into alleged misuse of algorithms and fraudulent data extraction, has been extended following complaints tied to X's AI chatbot Grok. Prosecutors listed a range of pos…

Euro-area lenders pull back on corporate credit as trade uncertainty bites

Euro-area lenders pull back on corporate credit as trade uncertainty bites

A quarterly Bank Lending Survey from the European Central Bank shows euro-area banks tightened credit access for businesses last quarter and expect further restriction as economic uncertainty, including trade policy concerns, erodes risk tolerance and demand. Mortgage standards were eased in some markets, notably France, while loan demand rose mode…

Australia's Big Four Banks Lift Variable Mortgage Rates After RBA Hike

Australia's Big Four Banks Lift Variable Mortgage Rates After RBA Hike

Australia's four largest banks raised their variable home loan interest rates by 25 basis points on Feb 3, matching the Reserve Bank of Australia's decision the same day to increase the cash rate to 3.85% in a unanimous vote. The banks announced effective dates for the changes and flagged adjustments to certain business lending rates and ongoing re…

Japan's Finance Minister Backs PM on Weaker Yen, Citing Textbook Effects

Japan's Finance Minister Backs PM on Weaker Yen, Citing Textbook Effects

Japan's finance minister defended the prime minister's remarks that highlighted potential advantages of a weaker yen, saying the premier was referring to conventional economic teachings. The defense came as the dollar regained levels above 155 yen following a weekend campaign speech in which the prime minister underscored the currency's benefits fo…

CIBC Sees Modest, Gradual Boost to Canada’s Growth from Government Spending

CIBC Sees Modest, Gradual Boost to Canada’s Growth from Government Spending

A CIBC analysis by economists Ali Jaffery and Avery Shenfeld finds that Canada’s fiscal stance will provide a measured lift to growth rather than a rapid acceleration. While federal outlays have grown materially as a share of GDP, provincial governments are exercising fiscal restraint. The report estimates a slowly building fiscal impulse that adds…

Notepad++ Update Channel Compromised in Targeted Supply-Chain Intrusion

Notepad++ Update Channel Compromised in Targeted Supply-Chain Intrusion

The update mechanism for the widely used code editor Notepad++ was manipulated by a threat actor identified by researchers as a Chinese-linked cyberespionage group. The intruders accessed the project's update infrastructure beginning in June 2025 and retained some hosting credentials into December 2025, enabling distribution of a bespoke backdoor a…

Banks Anticipate a Pickup in Business Loan Demand in 2026, Fed Survey Finds

Banks Anticipate a Pickup in Business Loan Demand in 2026, Fed Survey Finds

A Federal Reserve senior loan officer survey shows U.S. banks expect demand for business loans to strengthen in 2026 across all categories, driven largely by expectations of lower interest rates and increased spending or investment. The survey found demand from large and medium firms rose in the fourth quarter while small-firm demand was flat. Hous…

OpenAI debuts Codex mobile app to compete in AI code-generation market

OpenAI debuts Codex mobile app to compete in AI code-generation market

OpenAI launched a mobile application for its Codex coding system, designed to let users manage multiple AI agents over longer periods and apply code to tasks like information gathering and analysis. The release is part of OpenAI's effort to increase market share in a coding-focused AI segment where competitors, particularly Anthropic's Claude Code,…

Gold’s Bull Trend Intact After Historic Two-Day Drop

Gold’s Bull Trend Intact After Historic Two-Day Drop

Gold and silver plunged in the sharpest two-session sell-off in decades, erasing much of recent gains. Analysts nevertheless view the decline as a correction rather than an end to the bull market, and major banks and traders retain forecasts for new record highs for gold over the coming months. Volatility and uncertainty for silver remain elevated.

SNB Chair Calls Low Inflation and 0% Rates a Challenge for Policy

SNB Chair Calls Low Inflation and 0% Rates a Challenge for Policy

Swiss National Bank Chairman Martin Schlegel described the current mix of near-zero inflation and 0% policy rates as a difficult environment for monetary policy. He reiterated that the SNB can use interest rates and foreign-exchange interventions to steer inflation back toward the 0-2% target band, signaled readiness to consider negative rates whil…

Bostic: Warsh Confronts 'Tall Task' in Winning Fed Committee Support

Bostic: Warsh Confronts 'Tall Task' in Winning Fed Committee Support

Atlanta Federal Reserve President Raphael Bostic said President Donald Trump’s nominee for Federal Reserve chair, Kevin Warsh, faces a significant challenge in persuading members of the Federal Open Market Committee to follow his lead on monetary policy. Speaking at the Rotary Club of Atlanta, Bostic emphasized that gaining trust, demonstrating jud…

U.S.-India Trade Steps and Tariff Timeline After 50% Duty Imposed

U.S.-India Trade Steps and Tariff Timeline After 50% Duty Imposed

U.S. President Donald Trump said he reached a trade agreement with India under which New Delhi agreed to stop purchasing Russian oil and to increase purchases from the United States and potentially Venezuela. The announcement follows a series of tariff measures that culminated in a 50% duty on Indian goods shipped to the United States. The timeline…

U.S. and India Reach Trade Agreement; U.S. Tariffs Cut to 18%

U.S. and India Reach Trade Agreement; U.S. Tariffs Cut to 18%

U.S. President Donald Trump announced that the United States and India have concluded a trade agreement that lowers reciprocal U.S. tariffs on Indian goods from 25% to 18% and includes a commitment by India to purchase in excess of $500 billion of U.S. products across multiple sectors. The arrangement also contains a pledge by India to halt purchas…

House Prepares Vote to End Brief Partial Shutdown, Final Ballot Expected Tuesday

House Prepares Vote to End Brief Partial Shutdown, Final Ballot Expected Tuesday

The U.S. House of Representatives moved on Feb. 2 to consider legislation intended to end a short-lived partial government shutdown that began over the weekend, with a final vote scheduled for Tuesday. Key agencies including the Pentagon and the Department of Transportation saw funding lapse on Saturday as lawmakers grappled with immigration enforc…

France’s 2026 Budget Clears Parliament After Concessions, Targets 5% Deficit

France’s 2026 Budget Clears Parliament After Concessions, Targets 5% Deficit

France’s 2026 fiscal plan is set to pass as parliamentary no-confidence motions are expected to fail. The package seeks to narrow the deficit to 5% of GDP from an estimated 5.4% last year, after the government backed away from an earlier 4.7% target following concessions to the Socialist party. The plan combines extended levies on large firms, new …

Cboe Holds Early Talks to Bring Binary Options Back to Retail Traders

Cboe Holds Early Talks to Bring Binary Options Back to Retail Traders

Cboe Global Markets is in preliminary discussions with retail broker-dealers and market makers to relaunch binary options for individual investors. The proposed fixed-return contracts would pay a set amount or nothing, allowing traders to place yes-or-no bets on discrete outcomes. If launched, the product would compete directly with prediction-mark…