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 Governor Lisa Cook, who broke multiple racial and institutional barriers during her career, became the subject of an unprecedented attempt by a president to remove a sitting central banker. Cook, the first Black woman to join the Fed’s Board of Governors, has contested her dismissal in court. The Supreme Court recently refused to pe…
The U.S. Supreme Court, in a 5-4 decision, rejected a bid by President Donald Trump to remove Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook, preserving the central bank’s statutory protections against summary presidential removal. The ruling leaves in place lower-court orders preventing Cook’s immediate ouster while her legal challenge proceeds, and it follow…
Suez has won a €2 billion ($2.28 billion) contract, its largest in the Middle East, to operate and maintain water and wastewater systems in parts of Oman for a 15-year term. The award, announced on Monday, was made by Nama Water Services and includes Omani partners. The project covers Muscat and the North and South Sharqiyah governorates, serving 2…
Andy Burnham, the Labour lawmaker widely seen as the likely replacement for Keir Starmer, said his proposals align with the party's 2024 manifesto and reaffirmed his support for a set of fiscal rules designed to balance day-to-day spending with tax revenues and to reduce debt as a share of output. Speaking in Manchester, Burnham said his approach s…
Russia announced it will adopt political and military-technical measures in response to Finland's March plan to amend a Cold War-era law that has long barred the stationing of nuclear weapons on Finnish territory. The Kremlin called the change a direct security concern and said it would move quickly to recalibrate its stance toward Helsinki.
Andy Burnham, the Labour lawmaker viewed as the likely successor to Keir Starmer, told MPs his proposals conform to the party’s 2024 manifesto and that he remains committed to the government’s existing fiscal rules. He pledged to cut the welfare bill in a manner he described as fair and lasting and suggested repairs to public housing as one route t…
The International Monetary Fund has indicated it can move quickly to provide an extended credit facility for Malawi, but any agreement will depend on the government's willingness to adopt and implement economic reforms set out in its National Economic Recovery Plan. Talks between IMF officials and Malawi remain ongoing after a recent mission depart…
Provisional figures from the Central Statistics Office show Ireland's retail sales volumes rose 0.8% in the year to May, the fastest annual increase since February. On a monthly basis, May was flat versus April at 0.0%, while April's previously published figures were revised upward to reflect stronger month-on-month and year-on-year growth.
The Kremlin said Russia's conditions for a Ukraine peace agreement remain unchanged from President Vladimir Putin's 2024 statement, requiring Ukrainian forces to pull back from Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia and to renounce NATO membership plans. Moscow also said Putin discussed the conflict and bilateral ties with Belarusian President …
Data released by the European Central Bank on Monday show that annual loan growth to non-financial corporations in the euro area accelerated to 4.0% in May, up from 3.4% in April. Lending to households edged higher to 3.1% from 3.0%, and the broad money measure M3 rose to 3.2% from 2.7%, reflecting a broad-based pickup in credit flows and money sup…
Bank of England Chief Economist Huw Pill told a public panel that the central bank's shift to scenario-driven forecasts and publication of individual voting explanations has made it harder for members of the Monetary Policy Committee to form a common view on interest rate policy. Pill repeated concerns in a separate interview that colleagues may be…
The central bank said on Monday it will cut its daily foreign currency sales to 0.58 billion roubles ($7.37 million) for the second half of 2026, down from 4.62 billion roubles in the first half. The move reduces direct market support for the rouble even as planned combined purchases with the finance ministry spike for the opening days of July.
Guy Carpenter reports a 16% drop in global property catastrophe reinsurance rates on a risk-adjusted basis at mid-year renewals, compared with a 12% fall at the start of the year. The broker points to ample capital and increased reinsurer willingness as the main drivers, while cedants are adopting alternative structures such as parametric covers, s…
Hungary’s incoming prime minister, Peter Magyar, warned that the country’s budget shortfall for 2026 could exceed 7% of GDP despite securing an agreement to unlock substantial European Union funding. Magyar said the figure would have been higher without the EU deal and outlined steps including an audit, a revised budget and a medium-term fiscal pla…
The cheap financing underpinning much of the U.S. equity advance is becoming costlier as leveraged exchange-traded products, heavy options activity and record dealer repo exposure push up the price of equity borrowing. Banks acting as primary dealers are carrying historically high equity repurchase agreements, tightening the capacity to intermediat…
Strong U.S. economic indicators driven by continued hiring and resilient consumer spending are colliding with cooling equity market leadership, particularly among the largest technology firms. Rising real interest rates, a flurry of corporate debt issuance to finance AI infrastructure, and a rotation of momentum trades are creating tensions between…
Federal Reserve Chair Kevin Warsh faces an immediate set of challenges that will help define his initial tenure. The U.S. Supreme Court is poised to rule on whether President Donald Trump lawfully tried to remove Fed Governor Lisa Cook, a decision that could limit presidential power over central bank personnel and ease a political overhang on the F…
Investors start a shortened trading week with a dense calendar of economic releases and central bank discussion. The U.S. nonfarm payrolls report leads the data slate, with economists forecasting a slowdown in hiring but continued expansion in jobs. ISM manufacturing, Eurozone inflation figures, and the annual central banker conference in Sintra wi…
U.S. and Iranian representatives have reportedly reached an understanding to stop reciprocal attacks in the Strait of Hormuz, a move that would allow shipping to move without the recent disruptions. A U.S. official says Iran has not yet publicly confirmed the pact. Negotiations are continuing on the mechanics of a memorandum of understanding and a …
Bank of England Chief Economist Huw Pill said the central bank’s move from a single central forecast to multiple scenarios has made it harder for Monetary Policy Committee members to form a shared view, a concern echoed by other policymakers. Pill voiced the point at a panel hosted by the central bank of Uzbekistan and reiterated worries about comp…
U.S. stock futures edged up Monday as investors prepared for a packed economic calendar and watched reports that the U.S. and Iran had agreed to suspend recent strikes in the Strait of Hormuz. The development eased concerns about tanker activity, while attention turns to central bank commentary at the ECB’s Sintra conference and a slate of inflatio…
European equities held steady as technology names recovered from last week’s heavy losses, even as investors remained cautious about a fragile ceasefire between the United States and Iran. Oil prices ticked higher amid scrutiny of shipments through the Strait of Hormuz, and attention is turning to remarks at the ECB’s Sintra conference for signals …
Markets enter the second half of the year with attention fixed on central bank direction, U.S. jobs data and continued dispersion among asset classes. The new Federal Reserve chief makes his first public international appearance at the ECB-organised Sintra conference, U.S. nonfarm payrolls are brought forward to Thursday because of next week’s holi…
China’s central bank has introduced overnight reverse repo operations for the first time, supplying 300 billion yuan to the banking system and keeping its primary seven-day reverse repo rate unchanged at 1.4% as it also injected 157.5 billion yuan in seven-day repos. Market indicators and sources point to an inaugural overnight rate of 1.25%, a gap…
Renewed hostilities in the Middle East briefly unsettled markets, reviving oil and pressing risk assets even as hopes for talks later softened the move. Investors continue to fret over lofty tech valuations, questions about the durability of AI-led spending, and a strong dollar that is weighing on other currencies - most notably the Japanese yen.
