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.
7,128 total articles
U.S. nonfarm payrolls unexpectedly fell by 92,000 in February while the unemployment rate rose from 4.3% to 4.4%. The decline reflected a combination of a 31,000-worker strike at Kaiser Permanente, severe winter weather, and statistical adjustments following an updated birth-and-death model and delayed population controls. Economists say the jobles…
Federal Reserve Governor Christopher Waller said the recent rise in oil and gasoline prices following U.S. airstrikes against Iran is likely to be a short-lived shock for consumers and not a reason for the Fed to alter its policy stance, unless the increase becomes persistent and feeds into broader inflation.
European Union governments have warned of a potential worldwide shortfall in interceptor missiles after a private meeting in Brussels, citing concerns that ongoing conflict in the Middle East and existing commitments to Ukraine could further deplete global stocks. Production limitations in Asia and logistical bottlenecks in key components are const…
Bank of America analysts say the current conflict involving Iran is not expected to meaningfully disrupt U.S. economic activity in the near term, but they warn a sustained spike in oil prices could propagate through consumer spending, investment and monetary policy. The bank highlights specific channels that would amplify damage, and expects modest…
An expert cited in a Bank of America note says the current conflict involving Iran is likely to be short-lived because the tempo of operations is constrained by available weapons stockpiles. The situation could spur supplemental U.S. defense funding and shift regional power balances, but broader destabilization risks remain assessed as relatively l…
Indonesia’s finance minister, Purbaya Yudhi Sadewa, is pushing back against investor alarm over a string of downgrades and market volatility, arguing his pro-growth, unconventional policies remain prudent by international standards. He insists recent measures - including a large transfer of government liquidity to state-owned banks - are designed t…
U.S. equity funds saw their largest weekly net outflows in eight weeks in the seven days to March 4 as investors reduced risk exposure amid concerns over the U.S.-Israeli conflict with Iran and its potential effects on inflation and the Federal Reserve's interest-rate path. Simultaneously, money market and bond funds drew significant inflows, and s…
The largest government bond markets worldwide ended the week with significant losses amid concerns that conflict in the Middle East will revive upward pressure on inflation and prompt central banks to tighten policy sooner. Short-dated, two-year government bonds were hit hardest, with yields climbing sharply in the UK, euro area, the United States …
U.S. equity futures declined Friday as intensified fighting in the Middle East raised concerns about higher energy prices and supply disruptions, while traders awaited a weekly jobs report. The U.S.-Israel air campaign against Iran approached a week, contributing to a sharp weekly jump in oil and interruptions to shipping through the Strait of Horm…
United Arab Emirates authorities are weighing a decision to freeze billions of dollars of Iranian assets parked in the Gulf state. The measure, reported by the Wall Street Journal, would dramatically impede Iran's access to foreign currency and international trade networks as its economy contends with inflation and an ongoing military confrontation…
European Central Bank policymaker Jose Luis Escriva said the ECB is unlikely to change interest rates at its next policy meeting and will decide on a meeting-by-meeting basis as it gauges the fallout from the war in the Middle East, particularly on energy prices and supply chains. He warned that while effects on consumer prices are expected, they m…
Bank of America projects UK household consumption will expand only 1.2% in 2026, citing weaker real income growth, a modest fall in the savings rate and several downside risks. Elevated energy prices, rising mortgage refinancing costs, potential labour-market deterioration and entrenched behavioural shifts toward saving could further depress spendi…
Global investors reduced equity allocations in the week to March 4, snapping an eight-week inflow streak as an intensifying U.S.-Israeli conflict with Iran amplified inflation concerns and curtailed risk-taking. U.S. equity funds experienced the heaviest net sales, while money market and bond funds attracted fresh capital amid safe-haven demand.
Financial markets will remain focused on the widening U.S.-Israel conflict with Iran next week, with sharp moves in oil, gas and shipping threatening to eclipse scheduled economic releases. U.S. inflation data compiled before recent hostilities, central bank reactions in Europe, China’s policy calendar and Colombian elections all add to the week’s …
U.S. stock-index futures inched higher Friday as investors weighed ongoing fighting in the Middle East that has pushed oil prices sharply higher and raised fresh concerns about supply through the Strait of Hormuz. Crude's surge has fed worries about higher gasoline prices and potential upward pressure on inflation, complicating expectations for the…
Halifax reported that UK house prices rose 1.3% in the 12 months to February, the strongest annual increase since October. Month-on-month prices rose 0.3% in February, slower than January's 0.8% gain. Halifax highlighted renewed market momentum but warned geopolitical uncertainties could slow the pace of future interest-rate cuts. The Bank of Engla…
A panel of property analysts expects average home prices in Germany to climb roughly 3% a year through 2028, outpacing general inflation and raising affordability concerns for first-time buyers. The outlook follows a recovery from a multi-year slump, with building permits rising in 2025 and rents forecast to increase slightly faster than prices.
Olaf Sleijpen, head of the Dutch central bank and an ECB policymaker, said the euro zone’s monetary policy environment remains largely stable despite the outbreak of war in the Middle East. He cautioned that it is premature to draw firm conclusions about the conflict’s long-term impact, emphasized the ECB’s data-dependent approach and highlighted t…
Seisaku Kameda, the Bank of Japan's former chief economist, said the central bank is likely to postpone further tightening until around June or July because sustained conflict in the Middle East is keeping markets volatile. While April had been a plausible timing for a lift from 0.75% to 1.0% if hostilities eased, persistent instability increases t…
European Central Bank policymaker and Dutch central bank head reflects on market moves after the recent conflict in the Middle East, saying the earlier description of a central banker’s 'nirvana' no longer fits but that his assessment of the economy has not fundamentally changed. He emphasises data-dependence, the role of sensitivity analysis in pr…
Dutch central bank governor Olaf Sleijpen said a sharp rise in energy prices this week does not yet require a shift in European Central Bank policy. He stressed the bank can accept a small, temporary overshoot of its 2% inflation target and cautioned against drawing direct parallels to the 2021-22 inflation episode, while urging contingency analysi…
Japanese authorities said they are prepared to act with international partners to counter market volatility and economic damage stemming from the conflict in Iran. Finance Minister Satsuki Katayama flagged the possibility of measures including an extra budget, while Bank of Japan Deputy Governor Ryozo Himino warned that yen moves can feed through t…
Moscow, Russia's wealthiest federal unit, will trim its 2026 investment programme and cut municipal staff after revenue growth slowed sharply in early 2026. The move highlights mounting regional fiscal pressure, with consolidated deficits rising, regions shifting toward costlier commercial borrowing, and social and military-related payments adding …
Chinese regulators have approved Pfizer’s GLP-1 therapy Xianweiying, also known as ecnoglutide, for chronic weight management in overweight and obese adults. The approval adds a new competitor to a rapidly expanding class of GLP-1 receptor agonists sold in China and follows a licensing deal between Pfizer and Sciwind Biosciences for mainland commer…
Global markets traded unevenly on Friday as the Middle East conflict intensified, sending energy prices sharply higher and unsettling shipping and air travel. U.S. and European futures gained while Asian equities pared losses. Concerns about renewed inflation pushed yields up and prompted investors to price in more hawkish central bank stances. Att…
